There Are Some Genomes That Have Been Reported to Be

Multiple Choice

There are some genomes that have been reported to be positively coiled instead of negatively supercoiled, which is the status of most genomes that we have studied. The genomes that are positively supercoiled seem to belong to viruses and cells that exist at very high temperatures. Why might positive supercoiling be an advantage at high temperatures? (Select all that apply.)

A) Negative supercoiling makes it more difficult for strands to separate while positive supercoiling would allow the strands to separate more readily.
B) At high temperatures, the condition is more conducive for the strands to denature.
C) The high temperature would increase the formation of the hydrogen bonds between bases.
D) Positive supercoiling would allow the DNA to maintain its double-stranded structure at higher temperature.
E) Positive supercoiling would allow the DNA to readily separate for transcription and replication.