DNA structure biologists

Miescher

first isolated DNA, called DNA 'nuclein' since it was found in a white blood cell's nuclei

Avery, McLeod, McCarty

isolated virulent strain of S. pneumonia, transformed non-virulent strain into virulent strain

Hershey and Chase

found that radioactively labeled (32P) viral DNA enters the cell and provides genetic material for viral replication while radioactively (35S) viral protein doesn't enter the cell

Erwin Chargaff

established basic composition rules

Basic composition rules

composition varies across species, composition is constant across tissue types (ie heart, liver, skin), composition is constant with age, composition has A=T and G=C

Furberg

solved first crystal structure of cytidine nucleoside (necessary for knowing double helix structure)

Dekker, Michelson, and Todd

established 3', 5' phosphodiester linkage

Gulland

used electrometric titration to find bases were linked by hydrogen-bonds

Astbury

used fiber x-ray diffraction which hinted at base stacking

Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins

looked at DNA fibers with x-ray diffraction

Franklin

discovered double-helix, found phosphate groups on outside, and that there's 2 forms of DNA

Watson and Crick

used all this info to build DNA model