Question

(a) Why does DNA replication occur within a replication fork and not in its entire length simultaneously?
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Hint:

Replication forks enable directional synthesis, ensuring accuracy in DNA replication by utilizing a semi-discontinuous mechanism.

Answer 1

Replication occurs within the fork because DNA polymerase works in the 5’ to 3’ direction. Due to the antiparallel strands of DNA, one strand (leading) is synthesized continuously, while the other (lagging) is synthesized discontinuously using Okazaki fragments. This semi-discontinuous mechanism ensures accurate replication of both strands efficiently. If DNA replication happened simultaneously across the entire length, it would be inefficient and error-prone. The replication fork optimizes this process, ensuring proper sequence matching and error correction. % Quick tip