Question

What is the total number of hydrogen bonds that exist between the DNA strand 5'-TTCAGAG-3' and its complementary bond?

Answer 1

DNA is composed of two different strands of nitrogenous bases called nucleotides, bound together by hydrogen bonds forming a double helical structure. The bases can be adenine (A) , cytosine(C), guanine (G) and thymine (T) .

There exists complementary base pairing of base pairs in the DNA double helix where hydrogen bond forms between adenine and thymine and between guanine and cytosine oeing to their chemical nature and shape. Adenine pairs with thymine by two hydrogen bonds and vice versa, whereas guanine pairs with cytosine via three hydrogen bonds. Since we are forming a double helix, the complementary strands are linked via hydrogen bonds to form the helix. In a 5'-TTCAGAG-3' ,

T(2 hydrogen bonds) A

T (2) A

C (3) G

A (2) T

G (3) C

A (2) T

G (3) C

So the number of hydrogen bonds between the given DNA strand and it's complementary strand is 17. (2+2+3+2+3+2+3)

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