Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A human cell has base pairs of DNA. Each nucleosome holds base pairs, and its core is made of 8 histone molecules. Assume that all the DNA is in nucleosomes.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. base pairs, per nucleosome, 8 histone molecules in a core.
Plan. Divide to count the nucleosomes, then multiply for the histones and the lengths.
Step 1. (a) , which is million nucleosomes.
Step 2. (b) million histone molecules.
Step 3. (c) .
Step 4. (d) . Since , the length is .
Answer: million; million; ; .
Check. The total length is also , the same.
Watch out. The histone H1 and the NHC proteins are not counted here. The question asks only for the 8 molecules in each core.
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A nucleosome has about 200 base pairs of DNA round a core of 8 histone molecules. The helix has 10 base pairs in one turn, in the textbook model.
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