Question
Biology Question on DNA Replication
DNA replicates semiconservatively was first shown in:
A
Higher animals
B
Esherichiacoil
C
Human cell
D
Plants
Answer
Esherichiacoil
Explanation
Solution
The concept of semiconservative DNA replication was first demonstrated by the scientists Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl in 1958 using Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. They conducted an elegant experiment known as the Meselson-Stahl experiment to investigate how DNA is replicated.
In their experiment, Meselson and Stahl labeled the DNA of E. coli bacteria with a heavy isotope of nitrogen (15N) by growing the bacteria in a medium containing this isotope. They then transferred the labeled bacteria to a medium containing a lighter isotope of nitrogen (14N) and allowed them to replicate their DNA.