Human Genome Base Pairs
A base pair consists of two complementary DNA nucleotide bases that pair together to form a "rung of the DNA ladder." DNA is made of two linked strands that wind around each other to resemble a twisted ladder — a shape known as a double helix. The two strands are held together by hydrogen bonds between pairs of bases: adenine (A) pairs with thymine (T), and cytosine (C) pairs with guanine (G).[1]
In humans, each cell normally contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46. These chromosomes are structures within cells that contain a person's genes, which are segments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).[2] [3] Except for certain cells like sperm and egg cells or red blood cells, the nucleus of every normal human cell contains these 23 pairs of chromosomes. Normally, each pair consists of one chromosome from the mother and one from the father.[3] This means that a normal human cell contains two copies of the human genome.
Therefore, the number of base pairs in one living cell of a human being is approximately 6 billion base pairs.
One copy of the human genome consists of approximately 3 billion base pairs of DNA, which are distributed across the 23 chromosomes.[1] Since a normal human cell contains two copies of the genome (one set of 23 chromosomes from each parent), the total number of base pairs in a typical human cell is approximately twice the number in one copy.
Authoritative Sources
- Base Pair. [genome.gov]↩
- How many chromosomes do people have? [medlineplus.gov]↩
- Genes and Chromosomes. [merckmanuals.com]↩
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