Blatant Biology

a double-stranded polymer of nucleic acids, with the sugar deoxyribose

a potential double helix structure adopted by DNA, forming a right-handed double helix, with a shorter and more compact helix

right handed DNA double helix structure; slightly less compact than A-DNA

left-handed DNA double helix structure, with the loosest helical structure of A, B, and Z

method of copying DNA using a template strand, to reduce the likelihood of errors being introduced; proven by Meselson and Stahl using different Nitrogen isotopes

the molecular machine carrying out DNA replication, first by unwinding the DNA to 2 ssDNA molecules, and then by synthesising complementary strands, giving 2 identical copies of the template DNA strand

short, single-stranded DNA molecules used to synthesise the complementary DNA strand during DNA replication on the 3' end

nucleoside triphosphate

deoxyadenosine triphosphate

deoxyguanosine triphosphate

deoxycytosine triphosphate

deoxythymidine triphosphate

released when a dNTP is incorporated into a DNA molecule

family of enzymes catalysing the synthesis of DNA molecules from dNTPs

prokaryotic DNA replication enzyme, capable of catalysing multiple polymerisation reactions without releasing the template strand (processive)

an enzyme capable of carrying out multiple polymerisation reactions without releasing the template strand