BIOL 111

DNA REPLICATION
Discovery of DNA structure

1920s: Frederick Griffith- transformation

1940s: Avery, MacLeod, McCartyo DNA transformer
1950s: a big decade
o Chase & Hershey- DNA, not proteins
o Erwin Chargaff- A:T, C:G
o Rosalind Franklin- helix
o Watson & Crick- double helix

DNA Replication

Happens before mitosis

Essential for new cells
Structure of DNA allows copying

Starts at origin of replication

o semi-conservative
o proteins recognize
o bubble formed
o replication fork

Overview

Enzymes Initiate

Helicase- unzip (protein)

Single-strand binding proteins- hold
Topoisomerase- relax (Protein)

Process Continues

Primase- primer ( sets down complimentary bases (RNA) allows polymerase to

do job)
DNA polymerase- nucleotides (needs a pre existing nucleotide)
Leading strand- continuous
Lagging strand- Okazaki fragments, DNA ligase

Have you Mastered The Material?

Helicase starts DNA replication by separating the DNA strands from each other. Single-strand
binding proteins keep separated DNA strands apart, while primase adds a short segment of
RNA nucleotides called a primer to part of the DNA parent strand. DNA polymerase adds DNA
nucleotides to one end of the primer, forming a daughter strand. The leading strand of DNA is
replicated continuously, while the lagging strand is replicated in segments called Okazaki
fragments, which replaces the RNA primer with DNA nucleotides, and ____, which joins the
Okazaki fragments together. During the process, __ releases tension in the DNA parent strands,
which is caused by the action of ________