Question

Which of the following activity is associated with Klenow fragment?

• A. 5'-3' exonuclease activity
• B. 5'-3' endonuclease activity
• C. Polymerase activity
• D. 3'-5' endonuelease activity

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The question asks about the activity associated with the Klenow fragment. To answer this, understanding what the Klenow fragment is, is essential.

The Klenow fragment is a large protein fragment produced when the enzyme DNA polymerase I from the bacterium Escherichia coli is cleaved by the protease enzyme subtilisin. This removes the 5'-3' exonuclease activity portion, leaving two main activities:

1. Polymerase activity: This refers to the ability of the enzyme to synthesize DNA by adding nucleotides to a growing DNA strand in the 5' to 3' direction. The Klenow fragment retains this activity.
2. 3'-5' exonuclease activity: This provides a proofreading function that removes incorrectly paired base pairs. The Klenow fragment also retains this activity.

Now, evaluating the options provided:

1. 5'-3' exonuclease activity: This activity is missing in the Klenow fragment as it is removed during the fragment's creation.
2. 5'-3' endonuclease activity: This is not relevant to the Klenow fragment. Endonuclease activity is generally a different function that is not associated with the Klenow fragment.
3. Polymerase activity: As described, the Klenow fragment retains the DNA polymerase activity. Therefore, this option is correct.
4. 3'-5' endonuclease activity: This activity is not correct because the Klenow fragment has 3'-5' exonuclease activity, not endonuclease activity.

Therefore, the correct answer is Polymerase activity, as it is one of the crucial functions retained in the Klenow fragment.