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Ch. 7 - DNA Structure and Replication
Sanders - Genetic Analysis: An Integrated Approach 3rd Edition
Sanders3rd EditionGenetic Analysis: An Integrated ApproachISBN: 9780135564172Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 7, Problem 37

The following diagram shows the parental strands of a DNA molecule undergoing replication.
Diagram of DNA replication showing parental strands, daughter strands, polarity, leading and lagging strands, and RNA primers.
Draw the daughter strands present in the replication bubble, indicating:
a. The polarity of daughter strands
b. The leading and lagging strands
c. Okazaki fragments
d. The locations of RNA primers

Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Understand the structure of the replication bubble. A replication bubble forms when the DNA double helix is unwound by helicase, creating two replication forks. Each fork has a leading strand (synthesized continuously) and a lagging strand (synthesized discontinuously).
Step 2: Identify the polarity of the parental strands. DNA strands are antiparallel, meaning one strand runs in the 5' to 3' direction while the complementary strand runs in the 3' to 5' direction. Use this information to determine the polarity of the daughter strands being synthesized.
Step 3: Determine the leading and lagging strands. The leading strand is synthesized continuously in the 5' to 3' direction toward the replication fork, while the lagging strand is synthesized in short fragments (Okazaki fragments) in the 5' to 3' direction away from the replication fork.
Step 4: Locate the Okazaki fragments on the lagging strand. These fragments are short stretches of DNA synthesized discontinuously. They are later joined together by DNA ligase to form a continuous strand.
Step 5: Indicate the locations of RNA primers. RNA primers are short sequences synthesized by primase to provide a starting point for DNA polymerase. On the lagging strand, each Okazaki fragment begins with an RNA primer, while the leading strand requires only one primer at the start of synthesis.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

DNA Replication

DNA replication is the biological process by which a cell duplicates its DNA, resulting in two identical copies. This process occurs during the S phase of the cell cycle and involves unwinding the double helix, synthesizing new strands complementary to the original strands, and ensuring accurate copying through various enzymes.
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Steps to DNA Replication

Leading and Lagging Strands

During DNA replication, the leading strand is synthesized continuously in the direction of the replication fork, while the lagging strand is synthesized in short segments called Okazaki fragments, away from the fork. This difference arises because DNA polymerase can only add nucleotides in a 5' to 3' direction, necessitating a more complex synthesis for the lagging strand.
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Double Strand Breaks

RNA Primers and Okazaki Fragments

RNA primers are short sequences of RNA that provide a starting point for DNA synthesis, as DNA polymerase cannot initiate synthesis without them. On the lagging strand, multiple RNA primers are laid down to initiate the synthesis of Okazaki fragments, which are later joined together by DNA ligase to form a continuous strand.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

You are participating in a study group preparing for an upcoming genetics exam, and one member of the group proposes that each of you draw the structure of two DNA nucleotides joined in a single strand. The figures are drawn and exchanged for correction. You receive the accompanying diagram to correct: What is wrong with the way the nucleotides are joined?

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Textbook Question

You are participating in a study group preparing for an upcoming genetics exam, and one member of the group proposes that each of you draw the structure of two DNA nucleotides joined in a single strand. The figures are drawn and exchanged for correction. You receive the accompanying diagram to correct: Draw this single-stranded segment correctly.

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Textbook Question

Suppose that future exploration of polar ice on Mars identifies a living microbe and that analysis indicates the organism carries double-stranded DNA as its genetic material. Suppose further that DNA replication analysis is performed by first growing the microbe in a growth medium containing the heavy isotope of nitrogen (¹⁴N) that the organism is then transferred to a growth medium containing the light isotope of nitrogen (¹⁴N) and that the nitrogen composition of the DNA is examined by CsCl ultracentrifugation and densitometry after the first, second, and third replication cycles in the ¹⁴N-containing medium. The results of the experiment are illustrated here for each cycle. The control shows the positioning of the three possible DNA densities. Based on the results shown, what can you conclude about the mechanism of DNA replication in this organism?

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Textbook Question

Go to the OMIM website (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim) and type 'dyskeratosis congenita autosomal dominant 1' (DKCA1) into the search bar. The result will include a clickable link to the disorder that has an OMIM number of 127550. Review the OMIM information you retrieve and notice that this disorder is caused by a mutation of a telomerase gene that results in abnormally rapid shortening of telomeres and the appearance of disease symptoms at progressively younger ages in successive generations of the affected families. Use this and other information on OMIM to assist with this problem. Go to reference number 15 at the bottom of the OMIM page for a link to a 2004 paper by Tom Vulliamy and colleagues that appeared in the journal Nature Genetics. Click on the 'Full text' option and download a copy of the paper. Look at Table 1 of the paper on page 448. This table lists the lengths of telomeres measured in members of the families in this study. Telomeres shorten with age, and the telomere lengths in Table 1 are age-adjusted. The negative numbers for telomere lengths in the table indicate that telomeres are shorter than average for age, and the more negative the number, the shorter the telomere. Based on Table 1, the discussion in the Vulliamy et al. (2004) paper, and information available on OMIM, answer the following:

How do telomere lengths in children compare with telomere lengths of their parents?

449
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Textbook Question

Go to the OMIM website (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim) and type 'dyskeratosis congenita autosomal dominant 1' (DKCA1) into the search bar. The result will include a clickable link to the disorder that has an OMIM number of 127550. Review the OMIM information you retrieve and notice that this disorder is caused by a mutation of a telomerase gene that results in abnormally rapid shortening of telomeres and the appearance of disease symptoms at progressively younger ages in successive generations of the affected families. Use this and other information on OMIM to assist with this problem. Go to reference number 15 at the bottom of the OMIM page for a link to a 2004 paper by Tom Vulliamy and colleagues that appeared in the journal Nature Genetics. Click on the 'Full text' option and download a copy of the paper. Look at Table 1 of the paper on page 448. This table lists the lengths of telomeres measured in members of the families in this study. Telomeres shorten with age, and the telomere lengths in Table 1 are age-adjusted. The negative numbers for telomere lengths in the table indicate that telomeres are shorter than average for age, and the more negative the number, the shorter the telomere. Based on Table 1, the the discussion in the Vulliamy et al. (2004) paper, and information available on OMIM, answer the following:

Why are telomeres of people with DKCA1 shorter than average?

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