87.3k views
1 vote
Why do you think the rate of DNA replication is 10-fold faster in bacteria compared to the eukaryotic system (e.g., humans)?

User Egg Vans
by
8.2k points

1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

The rate of DNA replication is 10-fold faster in bacteria compared to eukaryotes due to several factors such as the simpler genome, smaller size, single origin of replication, and bidirectional replication.

Step-by-step explanation:

The rate of DNA replication is 10-fold faster in bacteria compared to eukaryotes due to several factors.

Firstly, bacteria have a simpler genome with a smaller size, which allows for faster replication. E. coli, for example, has 4.6 million base pairs in a single circular chromosome, which can be replicated in approximately 42 minutes.

Secondly, bacteria have a single origin of replication, while eukaryotes have multiple origins of replication. This means that bacteria can start replication from a single site and proceed bidirectionally, adding approximately 1000 nucleotides per second. In contrast, eukaryotes have multiple sites of origin with a slower rate of replication of around 100 nucleotides per second.

User Alexbhandari
by
7.9k points

No related questions found

Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.

9.4m questions

12.2m answers

Categories