College Level Molecular Biology

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RNA generally does not participate in being an aspect of the genome. It is only a genome when virus particles are concerned. Viruses have a wide variety of genomes that can include double stranded RNA or even single-stranded RNA.

DNA REPLICATION There is a completely separate process that goes on with regard to the replication of DNA. Replication happens when the cell needs to divide itself. The enzyme that does most of the replication process is called DNA helicase. Figure 39 shows what DNA replication looks like:

Figure 39.

There are other enzymes involved in the replication process, including topoisomerase and DNA primase. DNA helicase disrupts the hydrogen bonding between the two DNA strands, creating a replication fork. Remember that the DNA strands run in opposite directions from one another. The five-prime end have a phosphate group attached,

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