AP BIOLOGY

THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF INHERITANCE

DNA REPLICATION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What is the function of telomeres on a DNA strand?
A
They are used as a recognition site for DNA helicase to bond & begin “unzipping” the strand for replication.
B
They bond the Okazaki fragments together forming a continuous replication of DNA on the lagging strand.
C
When cell continually replicate, the DNA gets shorter so by adding telomeres to the ends of DNA, they extend the life of a cell.
D
They help untangle the DNA strand prior to DNA helicase’s arrival to unzip the DNA strand, readying it for replication.
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Their job is to stop the ends of chromosomes from fraying or sticking to each other, much like the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces. Telomeres also play an important role in making sure our DNA gets copied properly when cells divide.

Detailed explanation-2: -Telomeres are structures made from DNA sequences and proteins found at the ends of chromosomes. They cap and protect the end of a chromosome like the end of a shoelace. In almost all animals, from the simplest to the most complex, telomeres are required for cell division.

Detailed explanation-3: -Telomerase adds complementary RNA bases to the 3′ end of the DNA strand. Once the 3′ end of the lagging strand template is sufficiently elongated, DNA polymerase adds the complementary nucleotides to the ends of the chromosomes; thus, the ends of the chromosomes are replicated.

Detailed explanation-4: -What happens to telomeres during cell division? Every time a cell divides, each chromosome needs to be duplicated to provide a copy of genetic information for the new cell. However, the very end of each chromosome cannot be copied. Therefore, every time a chromosome is duplicated the telomeres become shorter.

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