Question

Calculate the contour length for the gene in in Problem 3 if it assumed an A-DNA conformation.

Short answer

The contour length for the gene if it is an A-DNA conformation is $3985A$or $0.396\mu m$.

Step-by-step solution

Contour length.

The contour length is calculated by multiplying the number of monomers in the chain by the distance between them.

Calculation of the contour length.

In Problem 3, the gene was 1365 nucleotides long.

In A-DNA conformation, the helix increase per base pair is 2.9 A.

The contour length can be calculated by:

1365 x 2.9 Å = 3,958 Å.

As a result, the contour length for the gene if it is assumed as an A-DNA conformation is 3985 A or $0.396\mu m$.