What is the primary reason for the much slower speed of eukaryotic replication forks compared to prokaryotic ones?
Explanation
Eukaryotic DNA is tightly packaged into chromatin with histone proteins. The replication machinery must navigate or remodel this complex structure, which slows down the progression of the replication fork to about 50 bases per second, compared to 1000 in prokaryotes.
Other questions
According to the central dogma of molecular genetics, what is the process by which a molecule of RNA is constructed to be complementary to a parent DNA strand?
What does the term 'semi-conservative' signify in the context of DNA replication?
Which enzyme is responsible for recognizing the origin of replication in E. coli to begin the process of DNA synthesis?
What is the primary function of the sliding clamp protein during DNA replication?
During DNA replication, what is the role of Single-stranded binding protein (SSB)?
In E. coli, what is the approximate length of the oriC sequence, the origin of replication?
Which enzyme is primarily responsible for removing RNA primers and filling in the resulting gaps with DNA during replication in prokaryotes?
What are the short, discontinuously synthesized fragments of DNA on the lagging strand called?
What is the 'trombone model' used to describe in the context of DNA replication?
What is the 'end replication problem' that affects linear eukaryotic chromosomes?
How does the enzyme telomerase counteract the shortening of chromosomes?
What is the specific repeating DNA sequence found in human telomeres?
Besides germ cells and stem cells, in which other type of cell is telomerase often expressed at high levels, allowing for bypass of senescence?
What is a major difference in how replication is initiated in eukaryotes compared to prokaryotes?
The intermediate structures formed during the replication of a circular prokaryotic chromosome are sometimes referred to by what name, due to their appearance?
What is the approximate speed of a eukaryotic replication fork?
What is the function of topoisomerase enzymes during DNA replication?
Which statement accurately describes the directionality of the leading and lagging strands relative to the movement of the replication fork?
What is the main biochemical limitation of DNA polymerases that necessitates the use of a primase?
What provides the energy for the formation of a phosphodiester bond during DNA synthesis?
In the central dogma, what is the term for discrete units within the DNA sequence that are organized to be transcribed into RNA?
What is the primary difference between the sugar component in DNA versus RNA?
How do telomerase inhibitors represent a potential therapeutic strategy against cancer?
Which of the following describes a key difference between the leading strand and the lagging strand during DNA replication?
What is the role of DNA ligase in the replication process?
If a hypothetical eukaryotic chromosome of 48 megabases were replicated from a single origin at a speed of 50 base pairs per second, how long would it take to replicate?
What is the function of the clamp loader enzyme during DNA replication?
What type of molecule serves as the template for the enzyme telomerase?
Which exception to the central dogma involves the creation of a DNA molecule from an RNA template?
In the list of proteins and enzymes of the replisome, which one is responsible for extending the primers with new DNA, performing most of the synthesis in prokaryotes?
What is the collective term for the entire complex of proteins and enzymes that performs DNA replication?
What is the Y-shaped edge of a replication bubble, where the DNA transitions from double-stranded to single-stranded, called?
Why is the information transfer from protein to protein, as seen in prion diseases, considered an exception to the Central Dogma?
In eukaryotes, which two DNA polymerases perform the majority of leading and lagging strand synthesis, respectively?
What is the eukaryotic protein equivalent of the prokaryotic sliding clamp?
What is the consequence of the end replication problem for most eukaryotic cells over time?
Why do the two strands of the double helix need to be held apart during replication?
Which statement correctly describes the antiparallel nature of DNA synthesis?
In the context of DNA replication, what is a Y-shaped replication fork?
What is the reason that telomere shortening is thought to play a role in cellular aging?
Which of these components is part of the replisome but is NOT an enzyme that catalyzes a chemical reaction?
What is the biological reason that eukaryotic chromosomes require multiple origins of replication to be replicated efficiently?
Why must the synthesis of leading and lagging strands occur simultaneously despite their different mechanisms?
What is the key difference between DNA Polymerase I and DNA Polymerase III in E. coli?
What would be the direct consequence if a cell's DNA ligase enzyme were non-functional?
The Nobel Prize in 2009 was awarded for the discovery of the mechanism of which enzyme, important for understanding aging and cancer?
Which of the following molecules is NOT a core component of the prokaryotic replisome?
In eukaryotes, which enzyme is responsible for breaking down the RNA primers during replication?
What is the primary reason the cell uses an RNA primer for DNA replication instead of a DNA primer?