BT101- Introductory Biology

LECTURE-3

Dr. Kusum K. Singh

Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

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 Discovery of DNA
Contents:

1. History: Finding DNA as genetic material.

2. Various scientists contributions.

3. Important experiments.

4. Conclusions from the experiments.

5. Till famous Watson-Crick DNA model.

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 Discovery of DNA
History of finding DNA as genetic material:
When and How the DNA was discovered??
• 1868 Swiss Chemist
• White Blood cells = Pus coated bandages
• Used various salt solutions (acids & alkalis)
• Which he called ‘nuclein’ inside the nuclei
of human white blood cells
• He isolated something new from the nuclei
Johann Friedrich
Miescher of eukaryotic cells: published in 1874
• Discovered DNA
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 Discovery of DNA
History of finding DNA as genetic material:
When and How the DNA was discovered??
• 1881 German Biochemist
• Identified nuclein as a nucleic acid.
• He isolated five nucleotide bases: adenine (A),
cytosine (C), guanine (G)
• Thymine (T) and Uracil (U) that are building blocks of
DNA and RNA; nuclei of human white blood cells
Albrecht Kossel
• Nobel Prize: in year 1910

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 Discovery of DNA
History of finding DNA as genetic material:
When and How the DNA was discovered??
• 1919 Russian Biochemist
• Discovered three major components of nucleotide
(phosphate, sugar and base)
• First to discover carbohydrate component of DNA
(deoxyribose) and RNA (ribose)
• First to propose ‘polynucleotide’ model (yeast
Phoebus Levene
nucleic acid)
• Tetranucleotide model G-C-T-A-G-C-T-A
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 Discovery of DNA
History of finding DNA as genetic material:
When and How the DNA was discovered??
• 1928 British Bacteriologist.
• Focus was epidemiology and pathology of bacterial
pneumonia.
• He studied effects of virulent bacteria versus non-
virulent bacteria.
• Model organism: Mice
Frederick Griffith

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 Discovery of DNA
“Transforming Principle”:

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 Discovery of DNA
“Transforming Principle”:

Griffith's experiment : "transforming principle"

in pneumococcus bacteria.

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 Discovery of DNA
Transforming agent in Griffith’s experiment was DNA:
In year 1944 famous Scientists

Oswald Avery Colin Macleod Maclyn McCarty

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 Discovery of DNA
Transforming agent in Griffith’s experiment was DNA:
They used pneumococcus bacteria & mice test-tubes

Oswald Avery Colin Macleod Maclyn McCarty

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 Discovery of DNA
Transforming agent in Griffith’s experiment was DNA:
They used pneumococcus bacteria & mice test-tubes

Oswald Avery Colin Macleod Maclyn McCarty

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 Discovery of DNA
Transforming agent in Griffith’s experiment was DNA:
They used pneumococcus bacteria & mice test-tubes

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 Discovery of DNA
History of finding DNA as genetic material:
In year 1952 Martha Chase & Hershey used bacteria & bacteriophages

Alfred Hershey & Martha Chase

• Which portion of phage stay outside ? and what enters the
bacterial cell was unknown…
• Model organism: Bacteriophage and bacteria 14
 Discovery of DNA
History of finding DNA as genetic material:
In year 1952 Martha Chase & Hershey used bacteria & bacteriophages

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 Discovery of DNA
History of finding DNA as genetic material:
Conclusion of Hershey and Chase experiment:

• Phage coat labelled with S35 did not enter into the bacteria.
• Phage DNA labelled with P32 enters into the bacteria.
• DNA carries all the genetic information for synthesis of new
phage particles.
• Clearly shows DNA as the genetic material.
• Nobel Prize: 1969 together with Delbrück and Salvador Luria.

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 Discovery of DNA
History of finding DNA as genetic material:
When and How the DNA was discovered??
• Between 1947 to 1950; American Scientist.
• Discovered: amount of Guanine and Cytosine
bases are equal in any sample of DNA.
• Also, the amount of Adenine and Thymine are
equal in any sample of DNA.

Erwin Chargaff

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 Discovery of DNA
What we have learned so far:
• 1866 - Gregor Mendel Paper “Principle of Inheritance”.
• 1868 - Friedrich Miescher discovers “nuclein” from WBC.
• 1919 - Phoebus leuvene discovers “phosphate, sugar and bases”;
polynucleotide.
• 1928 - Frederick Griffith “Transforming Principle”.
• 1944 - Avery-MacLeod-McCarthy experiment “DNA as
transforming agent”.
• 1950 - Erwin Chargaff : “A=T and G=C”.
• 1952 - Hershey & Chase: “DNA as genetic material”.
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 Discovery of DNA
What was unknown till 1953 :
• Although the chemical components of DNA i.e. Phosphate,
Sugar and four bases (A, T, G and C) were known but…
• ….In which fashion these are connected to each other was
unknown.
• What is the structure of DNA genetic material?

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 Discovery of DNA & its Structure
To obtain DNA structure:
In 1950’s: Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins used X-ray diffraction

Maurice
Rosalind Franklin 21
Wilkins
 Discovery of DNA
To obtain DNA structure:

James Watson and Francis Crick

Linus Pauling Maurice Wilkins

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 James Watson & Francis Crick - 1953

•Watson Crick Model

•“Double Helix”
•Determined the shape and structure
•Adenine bonds with Thymine
•Cytosine bonds with Guanine

• Nobel Prize: in year 1962

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Watson-Crick Model of B-DNA

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 Conclusions of Lecture-3
• Brief history of finding DNA as genetic material.
• Model building to solve the structure of DNA.
• Double helix separated by 2 nm, Phosphate and
Sugar form the backbones of DNA.
• Nitrogenous bases (A=T/ G  C) are tucked inside.
• ~ 10 bases/turn and twist every 3.6 nm

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 Types of Questions?
• Explain Griffith Experiment.
• What molecules were labelled in Hershey and Chase
experiment?
• How can you prove DNA is the genetic material?
• If there is 34% of A then What % of G is present in the
DNA sample?
• Why nitrogenous bases are placed inside?

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Thank You!

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