Question

Which of the following statements is/are true with regards to DNA replication in E.coli?
a. It completes the process of replication within 18 minutes.
b. DNA polymerase catalyzes the polymerization very rapidly.
c. DNA polymerase catalyzes the reaction with a high degree of accuracy.

• A. a, b
• B. a only
• C. a, b, c
• D. a, c

Answer 1

The correct option is C a, b, c

E. coli that has only $4.6\times {10}^6$ bp completes the process of replication within 18 minutes; that means the average rate of polymerization has to be approximately 2000 bp per second. So, DNA polymerase catalyzes the polymerization very rapidly. Not only do these polymerases have to be fast, but they also have to catalyze the reaction with high degree of accuracy. Any mistake during replication would result into mutations. Hence, all the statements are true.