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What Is DNA Replication

DNA replication is the process by which DNA makes a copy of itself during cell division. It involves unzipping the double helix structure of DNA, using enzymes to separate the strands. This creates a replication fork with a leading and lagging strand. The leading strand is replicated continuously from primers by DNA polymerase in the 5' to 3' direction. The lagging strand is replicated discontinuously in chunks called Okazaki fragments that are later joined together. The result is two double-stranded DNA molecules each with one original strand and one newly synthesized strand.

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123 views

What Is DNA Replication

DNA replication is the process by which DNA makes a copy of itself during cell division. It involves unzipping the double helix structure of DNA, using enzymes to separate the strands. This creates a replication fork with a leading and lagging strand. The leading strand is replicated continuously from primers by DNA polymerase in the 5' to 3' direction. The lagging strand is replicated discontinuously in chunks called Okazaki fragments that are later joined together. The result is two double-stranded DNA molecules each with one original strand and one newly synthesized strand.

Uploaded by

Ammar Saleem
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is DNA replication?

DNA replication is the process by which DNA makes a copy of itself during cell division. 
1. The first step in DNA replication is to ‘unzip’ the double helix structure of the DNA molecule.
2. This is carried out by an enzyme called helicase which breaks the hydrogen bonds holding
the complementary bases of DNA together (A with T, C with G).
3. The separation of the two single strands of DNA creates a ‘Y’ shape called a replication ‘fork’.
The two separated strands will act as templates for making the new strands of DNA.
4. One of the strands is oriented in the 3’ to 5’ direction (towards the replication fork), this is
the leading strand. The other strand is oriented in the 5’ to 3’ direction (away from the
replication fork), this is the lagging strand. As a result of their different orientations, the two
strands are replicated differently:

Leading Strand: Lagging


strand:
5.A short piece Numerous
of RNA called RNA
a primer (pro primers are
duced by an made by
enzyme called the primase
primase) enzyme
comes along and bind at
and binds to various
the end of the points
leading along the
strand. The lagging
primer acts as strand.
the starting
point for DNA
synthesis.
6.DNA Chunks of
polymerase bi DNA, called
nds to the Okazaki
leading strand fragments,
and then are then
‘walks’ along added to
it, adding the lagging
new comple strand also
mentary nucl in the 5’ to
eotide bases 3’
(A, C, G and T) to the strand of DNA in the 5’ to direction.
3’ direction.
7. This sort of replication is called continuous This type of replication is called
replication. discontinuous as the Okazaki fragments
will need to be joined up later.

8. Once all of the bases are matched up (A with T, C with G), an enzyme called exonuclease strips
away the primer(s). The gaps where the primer(s) were are then filled by yet more
complementary nucleotides.
9. The new strand is proofread to make sure there are no mistakes in the new DNA sequence.
10. Finally, an enzyme called DNA ligase seals up the sequence of DNA into two continuous
double strands.
11. The result of DNA replication is two DNA molecules consisting of one new and one old chain
of nucleotides. This is why DNA replication is described as semi-conservative, half of the chain
is part of the original DNA molecule, half is brand new.
12. Following replication the new DNA automatically winds up into a double helix. 

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