We have examined two physiological extremes with respect to

We have examined two physiological extremes with respect to concentration – how low levels of hormones amplify their signal, and the incredible compaction of DNA to fit 2 m of DNA into the nucleus of a single cell. In order to better appreciate and contrast these extremes answer the following questions:

A. Epinephrine, C9H13NO3, has a concentration of 10-10 M in circulating blood. Calculate the diameter of a round swimming pool with a water depth of 2.0 M that would be needed to dissolve 1.0 g (about a teaspoon) of epinephrine to a concentration equal to that in the blood?

B. Assuming the human genome has equal concentrations of each of the four nucleotides, what is the approximate mass of nucleotides that one would have to add to this pool to provide a concentration in the pool equivalent to the concentration of nucleotides in chromosomal DNA in the human nucleus of a typical cell?

Solution

Answer-

The concentration of epinephrine in blood is 100 to 200 pico gram per milliliter.

If there is one gram teaspoon of epinephrine i.e

1 gram= 10,000 000 000 000 picogram

Water depth of 2 metre = 2000 millimeter

Hence , the diameter of round swimming pool would be 10 meter

B,

Answer

The physiological concentration of nucleotides present in a cell is in micromolar i.e

ATP approxmately = 3152 micromolar

GTP= 468 micromolar

UTP= 567 micromolar

CTP= 657 micromolar

Please refere to the published paper - Physiological concentrations of purines and pyrimidines .Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 140: 1-22, 1994