Which piece of DNA will have the higher T_m, one with a cytosine plus guanine content of 30% or one with a cytosine plus guanine content of 50% if both are heated under the same experimental conditions? A) 30% cytosine plus guanine will have the higher T_m. B) 50% cytosine plus guanine will have the higher T_m. C) Their T_m's will be the same. D) There's no way to predict for this information.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

DNA with a higher cytosine plus guanine (C+G) content forms stronger hydrogen bonds (three hydrogen bonds between C and G) compared to adenine and thymine (two hydrogen bonds). Therefore, DNA with 50% C+G content will have a higher melting temperature (T_m) than DNA with 30% C+G content when heated under the same conditions, because it requires more energy to break the additional hydrogen bonds.

Which Piece of DNA Will Have the Higher Tm, One

Which Piece of DNA Will Have the Higher T_m, One