Question

The first step in DNA replication occurs when the DNA molecule separates into two strands. What is the next step in DNA replication?

Answer 1

Following the unzipping of the DNA molecule, DNA polymerase adds complementary nucleotides to form new strands, resulting in a semi-conservative replication where each new DNA molecule contains one original and one new strand.

Step-by-step explanation:

The next step in DNA replication after the DNA molecule separates into two strands is the formation of new strands. An enzyme called DNA polymerase reads the exposed bases and adds complementary nucleotides to each single DNA strand. This process is semi-conservative, meaning each new DNA molecule consists of one old (parental) strand and one new strand, perfectly matching the original DNA sequence.

The next step in DNA replication is the synthesis of new strands of DNA using the original strands as templates. During this process, an enzyme called DNA polymerase reads the exposed bases in the original DNA strand and adds complementary nucleotides to form two new strands. These new strands are identical to each other and to the original DNA strand, resulting in two complete double-stranded DNA molecules.

Answer 2

Enzymes produce two new complimentary strands.

Step-by-step explanation:

The separation of the two single strands of DNA creates a ‘Y’ shape called a replication ‘fork’. The two separated strands will act as templates for making the new strands of DNA.