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Ch. 7 - Microbial Genetics
Bauman - Microbiology with Diseases by Taxonomy 6th Edition
Bauman6th EditionMicrobiology with Diseases by TaxonomyISBN: 9780134832302Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 7, Problem 19

A sequence of nucleotides formed during replication of the lagging DNA strand is a(n):
a. Palindrome
b. Okazaki fragment
c. Coding strand
d. Operon

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1
Understand the context of DNA replication, specifically the difference between the leading and lagging strands. The lagging strand is synthesized discontinuously in short segments.
Recall that during replication, the lagging strand is formed in small pieces because DNA polymerase can only synthesize DNA in the 5' to 3' direction, which is opposite to the overall direction of the lagging strand.
Identify the name given to these short segments of DNA synthesized on the lagging strand. These segments are known as Okazaki fragments.
Review the other options to ensure they do not fit the description: a palindrome is a sequence that reads the same forward and backward, a coding strand is the DNA strand that has the same sequence as the mRNA, and an operon is a cluster of genes under control of a single promoter.
Conclude that the correct term for the short DNA sequences formed on the lagging strand during replication is 'Okazaki fragment'.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Lagging Strand DNA Replication

During DNA replication, the lagging strand is synthesized discontinuously in short segments because DNA polymerase can only add nucleotides in the 5' to 3' direction. This results in the formation of multiple short DNA fragments that are later joined together.
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Okazaki Fragments

Okazaki fragments are short sequences of DNA nucleotides synthesized on the lagging strand during DNA replication. These fragments are later connected by DNA ligase to form a continuous strand, enabling complete replication of the lagging strand.
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DNA Strand Terminology

Understanding terms like coding strand, palindrome, and operon is essential. The coding strand is the DNA strand with the same sequence as mRNA, a palindrome is a sequence that reads the same forward and backward, and an operon is a cluster of genes regulated together, none of which describe lagging strand fragments.
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