A mismatched base pair causes a distortion in the DNA backbone. If this were the only indication of an error in replication, the overall rate of mutation would be much higher. Explain why
What will be an ideal response?
The distortion in the DNA backbone is insufficient information for the mismatch repair system to identify which base is incorrect and which was originally part of the chromosome when replication began. Without additional marks that identify the difference between the newly synthesized strand and the template strand, the repair would be corrected only 50% of the time by random chance. The error rate (and therefore the mutation rate) would still be less than in a system that lacked the mismatch repair enzymes (1 mistake per 107 base pairs), but greater than the error rate in a system that accurately identifies the newly synthesized strand (1 mistake per 109 base pairs).
You might also like to view...
Osmoreceptors help the body deal with dehydration in part by stimulating release of ____
a. atrial natriuretic factor b. renin c. aldosterone d. antidiuretic hormone e. angiotensin
Water molds are members of the kingdom __________
a. Protista b. Fungi c. Plantae d. Bacteria e. Animalia
Antibiotics bind to RNA polymerase and
A) act as base analogs B) inhibit cell wall synthesis C) disrupt cell membrane function D) inhibit transcription
Which of the following can be classified as a basic stain? Select all that apply.
> Safranin > Eosin > Acid fuchsin > Basic fuchsin > Malachite green