DNA replication is the mechanistic process by which the complementary, double-helical structure of DNA (bases held in a phosphodiester backbone on each strand, paired via hydrogen bonds) enables faithful transmission of genetic information, initiating at a specific sequence called an origin and proceeding through coordinated protein activity that unwinds, reads, synthesizes, and rejoins the DNA strands. Although prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems differ due to differences in the nature of their genetic information, the underlying mechanism of replication is fundamentally conserved. This concept belongs to molecular biology/biochemistry, within the broader study of nucleic acid information transfer alongside transcription.
DNA replication is the mechanistic process by which the complementary, double-helical structure of DNA (bases held in a phosphodiester backbone on each strand, paired via hydrogen bonds) enables fait…