The Process of DNA Replication

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The Process of DNA Replication

The process of DNA replication plays a crucial role in providing genetic continuity from one generation to the next. Knowledge of the structure of DNA began with the discovery of nucleic acids in 1869. In 1952, an accurate model of the DNA molecule was presented, thanks to the work of Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, and Francis Crick. To reproduce, a cell must copy and transmit its genetic information (DNA) to all of its progeny. To do so, DNA replicates following the process of semi-conservative replication. Two strands of DNA are obtained from one, having produced two daughter molecules that are identical to one another and to the parent molecule. This essay reviews the three stages of DNA replication process necessary for genetic inheritance and existence, namely, unwinding, complementary base pairing and joining.

The first stage of the process is the unwinding of old strands of the parent DNA molecule. The two strands of the double helix are first separated by enzymes. Then, each strand acts as a template for t...

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