Final answer:
All known bacterial DNA polymerases have 5' to 3' polymerization activity. This is the only universal attribute among the listed options, making option 2 correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
All known bacterial DNA polymerases have 5' to 3' polymerization activity. This means they can add nucleotides to the 3' end of a growing DNA chain and require a template strand to synthesize a new complementary strand. Among the given options, only option 2, which states that all known bacterial DNA polymerases have 5' to 3' polymerization activity, is universally true. For example, DNA polymerase I in E. coli, which is monomeric, has 3 activities: DNA polymerization, 3' to 5' exonuclease activity for proofreading, and 5' to 3' exonuclease activity for removing RNA primers. This is distinct from DNA polymerase III, which is critical for DNA synthesis and is composed of several subunits forming the polymerase holoenzyme, but it does not have the ability to initiate DNA chain synthesis.
Options 1 and 3 are specifically true for DNA polymerase I, while option 4 incorrectly describes the direction of polymerization, as none have 3' to 5' polymerization activity. In summary, the correct answer is number 2, and it is important to understand the functional and structural differences between various types of bacterial DNA polymerases for a deep understanding of DNA replication and repair mechanisms.