Without DNA repair, the error rate of DNA polymerase is about one for every 100,000 bases replicated.If an organism has a haploid genome of 2 billion base pairs, how many mutations are likely to occur each time a diploid cell replicates its DNA?
A) 20
B) 40
C) 80
D) 20,000
E) 40,000

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Given the error rate of one in every 100,000 bases and a haploid genome size of 2 billion base pairs, each replication of the haploid genome would likely result in 20,000 errors (2,000,000,000 / 100,000 = 20,000). Since a diploid cell contains two sets of the genome, the number of mutations would double to 40,000 for each replication of a diploid cell's DNA.

Without DNA Repair, the Error Rate of DNA Polymerase Is