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In 1940, Beadle and Tatum developed the one gene–one protein hypothesis - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 8 - 2001 - Paper 1
Question 8
In 1940, Beadle and Tatum developed the one gene–one protein hypothesis. This has now been modified to the one gene–one polypeptide hypothesis. Why was this modific... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:In 1940, Beadle and Tatum developed the one gene–one protein hypothesis - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 8 - 2001 - Paper 1
Step 1
Why was this modification needed?
Answer
The modification from the one gene–one protein hypothesis to the one gene–one polypeptide hypothesis was needed to reflect the complexity of protein structures in biological systems. Not all proteins are created from a single polypeptide chain; instead, many proteins are composed of multiple polypeptide chains that can be identical or diverse in structure. Thus, option (C) is the most accurate representation of this complexity, stating that many proteins are comprised of more than one polypeptide that may be the same or different.