2009 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2009. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

---

39

I've heard that the hydrogen bonds that join base pairs in the DNA molecule are relatively weak. If this is the case, where does the molecule get its stability?      Phyllis Frosst, Ph.D.: I investigate genetic discrimination, direct-to-consumer marketing of genetic tests and pharmacogenomics. In the same way that a single fiber of velcro is weak, but a square foot of it is almost impossible to pull apart - DNA's strength and stability come from the additive power of billions of bases. That each base pair can be individually pulled apart makes it possible for cellular processes such as DNA replication and base pair repair to easily occur. Barbara Melville (teacher)

---

< View ALL questions and answers from 2009

Or, search the 2009 transcript by keyword:
(short, single keywords work best at first)