Abstract
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) possesses a number of properties which the genetic material might be expected to show but which do not prove that genes are composed of DNA. Chromosomes are known to contain the genetic material and in general DNA is confined exclusively to the chromosomes. The amount of this nucleic acid increases directly with ploidy. Apart from the period during the division cycle when DNA is being synthesized it appears to be metabolically stable. It also replicates in a manner which preserves the sequence of bases in the molecule. While the base composition of DNA isolated from different organs of the same species is constant, the composition of DNA from different species varies and is characteristic of the species. The fact that many mutagens react directly with nucleic acids has been used as evidence that the genetic material is a nucleic acid (Chapter 2).
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© 1965 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Peacocke, A.R., Drysdale, R.B. (1965). Synopsis. In: The Molecular Basis of Heredity. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6317-8_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6317-8_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-6163-1
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