Semi-Conservative Replication

Question 1

What is semiconservative replication?

Answer 1

The method by which DNA replicates

Question 2

What happens in semiconservative replication?

Answer 2

-Both leading and lagging strands of DNA are partially unzipped. They are then used as a template to attach nucleotides from two new double-stranded DNA molecules.

Question 3

What is DNA polymerase

Answer 3

-An enzyme used to build a single strands of DNA

Question 4

How do you read DNA polymerase

Answer 4

-DNA polymerase reads from a 3 to 5 prime direction
-It can only extend/build from a double-stranded sequence
-To do this we have RNA prime

Question 5

Semiconservative replication step-by-step

Answer 5

1-DNA helicase breaks weak hydrogen bonds between complementary base pairs to unzip the double-stranded molecule and form a replication fork
2-RNA primers bind to leading and lagging strand
3-DNA polymerase binds and is able to form phosphodiester bonds between free DNA nucleotides which form weak hydrogen bonds with the adjacent n ucleotides on the parental Strand
4-The lagging strand is synthesised in a discontinuous manor forming Okazaki fragments
5-RNA primers are then removed by DNA polymerase and DNA ligase then joins the strand together