In this article we will discuss about the discovery and special features of genetic code. Once the role of DNA as a hereditary material was established, it was clear that DNA contained the information for the formation of protein molecules or polypeptides. The sequence of purines and pyrimidines bases along the DNA molecule determines the sequence of amino acids in [...]
The autocatalytic function is the capacity of DNA to make a copy of itself. This capacity is known as replication. Watson and Crick proposed a mechanism of replication on the basis of its double helical structure. According to them, the two strands were capable of unwinding and separating and acting as templates during the synthesis of a new nucleotide chain. [...]
The most conclusive evidences in support of DNA as the genetic material comes from different avenues of approach on microorganisms – transformation of bacteria and transduction involving bacteriophages. 1. Griffith's Experiment and Bacterial Transformation: In 1928, Frederick Griffith, an English bacteriologist conducted transformation experiments on two strains of bacterium, Streptococcus pneumoniae (Diplococcus). The two strains are as follows: a. Smooth [...]