Nucleic Acids (D) Flashcards
What type of replication occurs in DNA, and why is it called that?
DNA replication is semi-conservative because each new DNA molecule contains one old strand and one new strand
When does DNA replication occur?
During the process of cell division
What are the steps for DNA replication?
The enzyme DNA helicase breaks the hydrogen bonds between bases and separates the two polynucleotide strands, causing the DNA helix to split
Each of the strands acts as a template for the formation of two new complementary strands
Individual DNA nucleotides align and attach by hydrogen bonding to the exposed bases of each template strand according to specific complementary base pairing rules
Adenine pairs with Thymine and Cytosine pairs with Guanine
The DNA nucleotides in each new strand are joined together by phosphodiester bonds in condensation reactions catalysed by the enzyme DNA polymerase. The DNA polymerase joins the sugar phosphate backbone
The two DNA molecules are identical to each other and to the original DNA
