Question

One picogram (pg) is equal to how many base pairs (bp)?

• A. $1\times {10}^9$
• B. $0.965\times {10}^9$
• C. $0.965\times {10}^{10}$
• D. $0.963\times {10}^8$

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

The weight of nucleotide bases can be calculated from the chemical formula and relative weights can be used to correlate the weight with the number of bases expected in a given sample of DNA. Using this technique it has been estimated that the mean weight of one nucleotide pair would be 1.023 x 10${}^9$ pg, and 1 pg of DNA would represent 978000000 base pairs. Some workers have reported a lower value (965000000). The correct formula for converting the picograms of DNA into number of nucleotide pairs will be (978000000) x (DNA content in picograms).

Thus, the correct answer is option B.