Problem Set 1, 2/7/02
Biochemistry 465
Jason Kahn
These problems are for your own use in extending your understanding of
lecture material. They will not be collected or graded, but related material
may show up on examinations.
- Sketch a stack of two WC base pairs of DNA with the following
three modifications (all at once):
- L-ribose instead of D
- 2,6-diaminopurine instead of A, which is 6-aminopurine
- Inosine instead of guanosine
- Read the page of mathematics of melting, and test drive the
spreadsheet available here.
Try out various deltaH and deltaS combinations, including the following pairs:
dH = -65000, dS = -170; dH = -50000, dS = -125; dH = -100000, dS = -275.
What do you notice about how dH and dS control Tm and curve shape?
- From the math page, derive an expression for Tm in terms of
dH, dS, and CT. Check your answer against the formula used to
calculate Tm in the spreadsheet.
- Write down the ten unique dinucleotides in double-stranded DNA.
How many unique trinucleotides are there?
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