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Prokaryotic DNA Replication is the process by which a prokaryote duplicates its DNA into another copy that is passed on to daughter cells. [1] Although it is often studied in the model organism E. coli, other bacteria show many similarities. [2] Replication is bi-directional and originates at a single origin of replication (OriC). [3]
Within eukaryotes, DNA replication is controlled within the context of the cell cycle. As the cell grows and divides, it progresses through stages in the cell cycle; DNA replication takes place during the S phase (synthesis phase). The progress of the eukaryotic cell through the cycle is controlled by cell cycle checkpoints.
The major enzymatic functions carried out at the replication fork are well conserved from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, but the replication machinery in eukaryotic DNA replication is a much larger complex, coordinating many proteins at the site of replication, forming the replisome.
This can either involve the replication of DNA in living organisms such as prokaryotes and eukaryotes, or that of DNA or RNA in viruses, such as double-stranded RNA viruses. [3] Synthesis of daughter strands starts at discrete sites, termed replication origins, and proceeds in a bidirectional manner until all genomic DNA is replicated.
For eukaryotes, numerous replication bubbles form at origins of replication throughout the chromosome.As with prokaryotes, two replisomes are required, one at each replication fork located at the terminus of the replication bubble.
DNA molecules in eukaryotes differ from the circular molecules of prokaryotes in that they are larger and usually have multiple origins of replication. This means that each eukaryotic chromosome is composed of many replicating units of DNA with multiple origins of replication.
DNA re-replication (or simply rereplication) is an undesirable and possibly fatal occurrence in eukaryotic cells in which the genome is replicated more than once per cell cycle. [1] Rereplication is believed to lead to genomic instability and has been implicated in the pathologies of a variety of human cancers. [2]
In prokaryotes, DnaA hydrolyzes ATP in order to unwind DNA at the oriC. This denatured region is accessible to the DnaB helicase and DnaC helicase loader. Single-strand binding proteins stabilize the newly formed replication bubble and interact with the DnaG primase .