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In your molecular biology class at Xavier Institute for Higher Learning you expl

ID: 196320 • Letter: I

Question

In your molecular biology class at Xavier Institute for Higher Learning you explore the mechanisms of DNA replication; by imagining what would happen if your fellow students lacked different components of the replisome (all the different enzymes that assemble at the replication bubble to help replication occur). What would occur if DNA polymerase III retained all its functions except 3'-5' exonuclease activity? O dNTPs could not be added to the new DNA molecule the double helix could not unwind at the replication fork O RNA primers could no longer be removed from lagging strand okazaki fragments Incorrectly added bases could not be removed from the chain.

Explanation / Answer

Incorrectly added bases could not be removed from the chain.

The function of 3' to 5' exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase is to proofread the DNA. It recognizes the errors in the newly synthesized DNA. When an incorrect base pair is recognized, the DNA polymerase moves backward by one base pair of DNA and excises the incorrect base pair.