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Related Concept Videos

The Replisome03:01

The Replisome

DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
The Replisome03:01

The Replisome

DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
Replication in Prokaryotes02:35

Replication in Prokaryotes

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Replication in Prokaryotes01:32

Replication in Prokaryotes

DNA replication has three main steps: initiation, elongation, and termination. Replication in prokaryotes begins when initiator proteins bind to the single origin of replication (ori) on the cell's circular chromosome. Replication then proceeds around the entire circle of the chromosome in each direction from the two replication forks, resulting in two DNA molecules.
Many Proteins Work Together to Replicate the Chromosome
Replication is coordinated and carried out by a host of specialized...
Replication in Prokaryotes02:35

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Replication in Eukaryotes01:29

Replication in Eukaryotes

In eukaryotic cells, DNA replication is highly conserved and tightly regulated. Multiple linear chromosomes must be duplicated with high fidelity before cell division, so there are many proteins that fulfill specialized roles in the replication process. Replication occurs in three phases: initiation, elongation, and termination, and ends with two complete sets of chromosomes in the nucleus.
Many Proteins Orchestrate Replication at the Origin
Eukaryotic replication follows many of the same...

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Imaging Replicative Domains in Ultrastructurally Preserved Chromatin by Electron Tomography
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A new replicator: a theoretical framework for analysing replication.

István Zachar1, Eörs Szathmáry

  • 1MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Ecology Research Group, Pázmány P sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary. zac@freemail.hu

BMC Biology
|March 12, 2010
PubMed
Summary

This study redefines replicators in evolution, proposing that replication is fundamentally an autocatalytic process. A formal framework distinguishes replicator types by their heritable information, clarifying evolutionary dynamics.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Theoretical Biology
  • Formal Systems

Background:

  • The concept of replicators is central to evolutionary theory but lacks precise definition.
  • Accurate identification and classification of multiplying entities are essential for understanding evolutionary dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To formally define and classify replicators based on their characteristics.
  • To develop an abstract framework for identifying various types of replicators and their dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing principles of formal chemistry to define replication as an autocatalytic process.
  • Developing an abstract, formal framework for replicator identification.
  • Proposing a hierarchical classification for replicators.

Main Results:

  • Replication is defined as an autocatalytic process.
  • A distinction is made between non-informational and informational replicators.
  • A hierarchical classification system for replicators is presented, applicable to known and future candidates.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides a formal, bottom-up redefinition of replicators.
  • Replicator types are distinguished by the quantity of variable and heritable information.
  • Replication is fundamentally autocatalysis, requiring specification of environment and selective forces.