Question

Which one of the following enzymes could seal a nick in one strand of a double-stranded DNA molecule by creating a sugar-phosphate bond between the adjacent, unjoined nucleotides?

1) DNA ligase
2) restriction enzyme
3) DNA polymerase
4) reverse transcriptase
5) terminator enzyme

Answer 1

DNA ligase is the enzyme responsible for creating a sugar-phosphate bond to seal nicks in one strand of a DNA molecule.

Step-by-step explanation:

The enzyme that could seal a nick in one strand of a double-stranded DNA molecule by creating a sugar-phosphate bond between the adjacent, unjoined nucleotides is DNA ligase.

This enzyme is crucial for piecing together fragments of DNA, such as the Okazaki fragments on the lagging strand during DNA replication, and for repairing nicks that may occur in the DNA backbone. DNA ligase works by catalyzing the formation of a phosphodiester bond between a 3' hydroxyl end of one nucleotide and the 5' phosphate end of another.