The mitosome of Giardia has no DNA within it. If it did contain DNA, then what predictions should we be able to make about its DNA?
1)It is linear.
2)It is circular.
3)It has many introns.
4)It has few introns.
5)It is not associated with histone proteins.
6)It is complexed with histone proteins.
A) 1, 3, and 5
B) 1, 4, and 5
C) 2, 3, and 6
D) 2, 4, and 5
E) 2, 4, and 6

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The absence of DNA in the mitosome indicates that it cannot be involved in DNA replication or transcription. It also suggests that the mitosome cannot be involved in genome maintenance, DNA repair, or mutagenesis. Because of this, we can assume that the DNA within the mitosome (if it were present) would not be complexed with histone proteins (option 5). Additionally, the generally reduced complexity and function of the mitosome suggest that its DNA would have fewer introns (option 4) and would likely be circular, as many prokaryote genomes are (option 2). Linear DNA (option 1) tends to be found in eukaryotes rather than prokaryotes or organelles derived from them. The presence or absence of introns is not related to DNA topology or histone association.

The Mitosome of Giardia Has No DNA Within It