In: Biology
Discuss the limitation of DNA polymerase. Make sure to include the consequence of these limitations, especially for eukaryotic chromosomes, and how these organisms have evolved to counter these limitations.
Answer
DNA polymerases extend primers only in the 5′ to 3′ direction, they are unable to copy the extreme 5′ ends of linear DNA molecules. Consequently, special mechanisms are required to replicate the terminal sequences of the linear chromosomes of eukaryotic cells.
These sequences consist of tandem repeats of simple-sequence DNA Chapter .They are replicated by the action of a unique enzyme called telomerase, which is able to maintain telomeres by catalyzing their synthesis in the absence of a DNA template.
The DNA polymerases are enzymes that create DNA molecules by assembling nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA. These enzymes are essential to DNA replication and usually work in pairs to create two identical DNA strands from one original DNA molecule
DNA polymerase 3 is essential for the replication of the leading and the lagging strands whereas DNA polymerase 1 is essential for removing of the RNA primers from the fragments and replacing it with the required nucleotides. These enzymes cannot replace each other as both have different functions to be performed.
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