Chapter 12, Problem 12A

Summary Introduction

To write:

A sentence defining a vocabulary term DNA polymerase.

Introduction:

DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid. It is an organic compound and it has a unique molecular structure. It is found in all prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells. DNA is a long polymer of nucleic acids and these nucleic acids are made by the arrangement of nitrogenous bases, sugar molecules and the phosphate groups that are linked by different bonds in a series of sequences.

Answer to Problem 12A

Sentence using DNA polymerase can be“The main function of DNA polymerase is to synthesize DNA from deoxyribonucleotides”.

Explanation of Solution

DNA polymerase is an enzyme that synthesizes DNA molecules from deoxyribonucleotides. Deoxyribonucleotides are the building blocks of DNA.

The enzyme DNA polymerase plays an important role in DNA replication, usually working in pairs to produce two matching DNA strands from a single DNA molecule. This enzyme works in single direction that is from 5’-3’. To initiate this reaction, DNA polymerases require a primer with a free 3'-hydroxyl group already base-paired to the template. DNA polymerase works by sliding along the single template strand of DNA reading its nucleotide bases as it goes lengthways and introducing new complementary nucleotides into the primer so as to make a sequence complementary to the template.