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2 Pres Replication, Transcription, and Translation Imp
2 Pres Replication, Transcription, and Translation Imp
DNA Replication
Since the DNA molecule is very large, there must be a way to copy it faster
than just unwinding from one end to the other!
This happens when the DNA molecule separates at many sites, forming
thousands of replication bubbles. This allows parts of the DNA message to
be replicated simultaneously in many locations.
DNA polymerase adds new nucleotides , while DNA ligase joints the DNA
segments together.
As you will note when you read the textbook (if you havent already!) the
process of DNA replication involves a number of enzymes and proteins, and
it a bit more complicated than seen in the previous slide.
This also insures that every new generation of individuals has the same
genetic information as his/her parents.
For many years biologists referred to the one gene-one enzyme hypothesis.
It was believed that each gene controlled the production of a single protein.
This was changed to the one gene-one protein hypothesis because many
proteins are structural proteins, not enzymes.
Since some proteins consist of several polypeptide chains that are linked
together, the hypothesis was changed again. This time one gene-one
polypeptide seemed more accurate.
There are three types of RNA produced in the nucleus: mRNA, tRNA, rRNA.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a copy of the DNA that codes for a polypeptide.
When the two DNA strands of a gene separate, one of the strands is
transcribed into an RNA molecule with the aid of the enzyme RNA
polymerase.
After production the RNA molecules leave the nucleus and enter the
cytoplasm.