Question

Friedrich Miescher isolated nucleic acid from ________ .

• A. white blood cells
• B. red blood cells
• C. Streptococcus pneumoniae
• D. bacteriophages

Hint:

Miescher worked on pus cells in 1869.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept
In 1869 Friedrich Miescher extracted an acidic, phosphorus-rich substance from the nuclei of pus cells.

Step 2: Source
Pus cells are leucocytes, that is white blood cells. He named the substance nuclein, now called nucleic acid.

Step 3: Compare
Mammalian red blood cells have no nucleus. Work on Streptococcus pneumoniae and bacteriophages came much later.

Final Answer:
Miescher isolated nucleic acid from white blood cells. \[ \boxed{\text{(A) }\text{white blood cells}} \]