Chapter 11: Problem 17
What would be the impact of the loss of processivity on DNA Pol III?
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Chapter 11: Problem 17
What would be the impact of the loss of processivity on DNA Pol III?
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List and describe the function of the ten subunits constituting DNA polymerase III. Distinguish between the holoenzyme and the core enzyme.
DNA polymerases in all organisms add only \(5^{\prime}\) nucleotides to the \(3^{\prime}\) end of a growing DNA strand, never to the \(5^{\prime}\) end. One possible reason for this is the fact that most DNA polymerases have a proofreading function that would not be energetically possible if DNA synthesis occurred in the \(3^{\prime}\) to \(5^{\prime}\) direction. (a) Sketch the reaction that DNA polymerase would have to catalyze if DNA synthesis occurred in the \(3^{\prime}\) to \(5^{\prime}\) direction. (b) Consider the information in your sketch and speculate as to why proofreading would be problematic.
You have generated a mutant strain of eukaryotic cells that constitutively express proteins required for translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). Would these cells have a mutator phenotype? Explain. One of the strains that you are working with shows an additional mutation whereby the processivity of a TLS polymerase is increased. What would be the consequence of this mutation?
Many of the gene products involved in DNA synthesis were initially defined by studying mutant \(E .\) coli strains that could not synthesize DNA. (a) The \(d n a E\) gene encodes the a subunit of DNA polymerase III. What effect is expected from a mutation in this gene? How could the mutant strain be maintained? (b) The \(d n a Q\) gene encodes the \(\varepsilon\) subunit of DNA polymerase. What effect is expected from a mutation in this gene?
Prokaryotic Okazaki fragments are in the range of 1200 nucleotides, while eukaryotic fragments are much shorter, more in the range of \(100-150\) nucleotides. Balakrishnan and Bambara (2013) suggest that the shorter length of Okazaki fragments is determined by nucleosome periodicity. Design an experiment to determine whether or not the length of Okazaki fragments in eukaryotes is dependent on nucleosomes being present on \(\mathrm{J}\)
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