What is the linking number (Lk) of a relaxed, closed-circular DNA molecule that is 3,150 base pairs long, assuming 10.5 base pairs per turn?
Explanation
The linking number (Lk) is a topological property of closed-circular DNA that describes the number of times one strand winds around the other. For a relaxed molecule, this is simply the number of base pairs divided by the helical repeat (bp/turn).
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