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Chapter 11: Problem 17

Draw a picture that illustrates how DNA helicase works.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The illustration will depict a segment of DNA being 'unzipped' by DNA helicase. The DNA before the helicase will be shown as a double helix, with the DNA after the helicase shown as two separate strands. This illustrates the process of DNA replication as helicase breaks the bonds between base pairs.

Step by step solution

01

Draw DNA Helix

Start by drawing a double helix which represents the DNA. Make sure to show the two strands of the helix and the rungs of the ladder that represent the base pairs bonded together.
02

Draw DNA Helicase and Broken Bonds

Indicate where the DNA helicase is attached on the DNA strand. Draw it unzipping the DNA by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the base pairs. This can be represented by a fork-like separation at the point where DNA helicase is located.
03

Show Separated DNA Strands

After the point of the DNA helicase, draw the separated strands of the DNA that are 'unzipped'. This portrays the resulting replication fork with two single-stranded DNA ready to be replicated.
04

Highlight DNA Helicase

Finally, it may be helpful to highlight or label DNA helicase in the picture, to draw attention to it and ensure that its crucial role in the process is clear.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Explain the proofreading function of DNA polymerase.

In eukaryotes, what is meant by the term DNA replication licensing? How does the process occur?

Sometimes DNA polymerase makes a mistake, and the wrong nucleotide is added to the growing DNA strand. With regard to pyrimidines and purines, two general types of mistakes are possible. The addition of an incorrect pyrimidine instead of the correct pyrimidine (e.g., adding cytosine where thymine should be added) is called a transition. If a pyrimidine is incorrectly added to the growing strand instead of purine (e.g., adding cytosine where an adenine should be added), this type of mistake is called a transversion. If a transition or transversion is not detected by DNA polymerase, a mutation is created that permanently changes the DNA sequence. Though both types of mutations are rare, transition mutations are more frequent than transversion mutations. Based on your understanding of DNA replication and DNA polymerase, offer three explanations why transition mutations are more common.

Discuss the similarities and differences in the synthesis of DNA in the lagging and leading strands. What is the advantage of a primosome and a replisome as opposed to having all replication enzymes functioning independently of each other?

Obtain two strings of different colors (e.g., black and white) that are the same length. A length of 20 inches is sufficient. Tie a knot at one end of the black string and another knot at one end of the white string. Each knot designates the \(5^{\prime}\) end of a string. Make a double helix with your two strings. Now tape one end of the double helix to a table so that the tape is covering the knot on the black string. A. Pretend your hand is DNA helicase and use your hand to unravel the double helix, beginning at the end that is not taped to the table. Should your hand be sliding along the white string or the black string? B. As shown in Figure 11.12, imagine that your two hands together form a dimeric DNA polymerase. Unravel your two strings halfway to create a replication fork. Grasp the black string with your left hand and the white string with your right hand. Your thumbs should point toward the \(5^{\prime}\) end of each string. You need to loop one of the strings so that one of the DNA polymerases can synthesize the lagging strand. With such a loop, dimeric DNA polymerase can move toward the replication fork and synthesize both DNA strands in the \(5^{\prime}\) to \(3^{\prime}\) direction. In other words, with such a loop, your two hands can touch each other with both of your thumbs pointing toward the fork. Should the black string be looped, or should the white string be looped?
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