Solveeit Logo

Question

Question: How Much DNA is Present in a Single Human Cell?...

How Much DNA is Present in a Single Human Cell?

Explanation

Solution

All living things are made up of cells, which are the basic building blocks. Trillions of cells make up the human body. They support the body's structure, absorb nutrients from food, convert those nutrients into energy, and perform specialized functions. Cells also contain the body's genetic material and have the ability to replicate themselves. Almost every cell in a person's body contains the same DNA.

Complete answer:
DNA is a molecule group that is in charge of carrying and transmitting hereditary materials or genetic instructions from parents to offspring. This is also true for viruses, which have either RNA or DNA as their genetic material. Some viruses, for example, may have RNA as their genetic material, whereas others may have DNA as their genetic material. After attaching to the host cell, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) produces RNA, which is then converted into DNA.

Aside from being responsible for the inheritance of genetic information in all living beings, DNA also plays an important role in protein production. Nuclear DNA is the DNA found within the nucleus of every eukaryotic organism's cell. It codes for the majority of the organism's genomes, with the remainder handled by mitochondrial and plastid DNA.

The DNA found in the cell's mitochondria is referred to as mitochondrial DNA. It is passed down from mother to child. There are approximately 16,000 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA in humans. Plastids, like bacteria, have their DNA and play an important role in photosynthesis.

The human genome is made up of 3.16 billion base pairs that are spread across 23 pairs of chromosomes in each cell. Only 2% of the genome codes for proteins. Human DNA contains approximately 30,000 genes. The functions of 50% of genes are unknown.

Note: The ability of DNA to replicate, or make copies of itself, is an important property. Each strand of DNA in the double helix can act as a template for duplicating the base sequence. When cells divide, this is critical because each new cell must have an exact copy of the DNA present in the old cell.