Nucleic acids

Question 1

Step-by-step process of semi-conservative DNA replication?

Answer 1

1. 9enzyme: DNA helicase, causes DNA double helix to unwind and separate into two strands by breaking the hydrogen bonds between complementary base pairs, exposing the bases.
2. Both separate strands then act as a template for DNA replication to occur.
3. Free activated DNA nucleotides (in the nucleoplasm) are attracted to and hydrogen bond to their complementary bases on the exposed template strands by complementary base pairing.
4. The newly added nucleotides are then joined together by the enzyme DNA polymerase, which catalyses the formation of phosphodiester bonds, between adjacent nucleotides.
5. This results in two identical DNA molecules being produced, each of which contains one of the original DNA strands and one newly synthesised DNA strand (semi-conservative)..