Molecular Genetics Protein Synthesis One Gene-One Polypeptide
Archibald Garrod ( ) Image from: British physician who studied metabolic defects in newborns noticed family history of certain illnesses
Alkaptonuria Image from: hereditary disease that caused urine to turn black due to accumulation of alkapton (homogentisic acid)
Garrod’s hypothesis? newborns who were fed extra phenylalanine (an amino acid) had increased blackness in urine SO…alkaptonuria must be caused by defective enzyme AND…the defective enzyme must be caused by an error in hereditary material
Garrod’s hypothesis Image from: defective alkapton-metabolizing enzyme part of a metabolic pathway “inborn error of metabolism” (1923)
Phenylalanine Metabolism Image from:
Beadle & Tatum (Image from: American geneticists published paper (1941) with findings on relationship between genes & enzymes in red bread mould, Neurospora crassa
Neurospora crassa Image from:
Beadle & Tatum “normal” N. crassa was able to grow on minimal nutrient medium (i.e. it was able to synthesize all needed amino acids and vitamins) “mutant” strains of N. crassa were created through exposure to X-rays or UV radiation
Beadle & Tatum Image on next slide from: mutant strains were unable to grow on minimal nutrient medium for some mutant strains, addition of arginine to the minimal nutrient medium resulted in growth reaction pathway for synthesis of arginine was determined through experimentation
Arginine Synthesis Image from:
One Gene-One Enzyme Beadle & Tatum’s work resulted in the one gene-one enzyme hypothesis this hypothesis is more accurately known as the one gene-one polypeptide hypothesis
Vernon Ingram (Image from: German-American Biology professor ( ) who studied sickle-cell anemia
Sickle-cell anemia (Image from: hereditary disorder red blood cells contain abnormal hemoglobin, causing crescent shape cause difficulty with blood flow
Sickle-cell anemia Image from: sequenced the hemoglobin protein determined the difference between hemoglobin of normal RBCs and sickle cell anemia RBCs
Hemoglobin ß-chain Image from:
Test yourself… hill.com/sites/ /student_view 0/chapter14/chapter_quiz.htmlhttp://highered.mcgraw- hill.com/sites/ /student_view 0/chapter14/chapter_quiz.html
Animations Beadle & Tatum experiments (excellent slideshow): Beadle & Tatum (narrated animation…a bit dry) / /web_tut/21_04/21_04_01a.swf