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Replication in Prokaryotes

Replication in Prokaryotes

Replication in Prokaryotes

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...

The Replisome

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...

Lagging Strand Synthesis

Lagging Strand Synthesis

During replication, the complementary strands in double-stranded DNA are synthesized at different rates. Replication first begins on the leading strand. Replication starts later, occurs more slowly, and proceeds discontinuously on the lagging strand.
There are several major differences between synthesis of the leading strand and synthesis of the lagging strand. 1) Leading strand synthesis happens in the direction of replication fork opening, whereas lagging strand synthesis happens in the...

Lagging Strand Synthesis

Lagging Strand Synthesis

Multi-Step Reactions

Multi-Step Reactions

Chemical reactions often occur in a stepwise fashion involving two or more distinct reactions taking place in a sequence. A balanced equation indicates the reacting species and the product species, but it reveals no details about how the reaction occurs at the molecular level. The reaction mechanism (or reaction path) provides details regarding the precise, step-by-step process by which a reaction occurs. Each of the steps in a reaction mechanism is called an elementary reaction. These...

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Plasmid-derived DNA Strand Displacement Gates for Implementing Chemical Reaction Networks

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Published on: November 25, 2015

A Synthetic Replicator Drives a Propagating Reaction-Diffusion Front.

Ilaria Bottero¹, Jürgen Huck¹, Tamara Kosikova¹

¹School of Chemistry and EaStCHEM, University of St Andrews , North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, U.K.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|May 14, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A synthetic replicator drives a reaction-diffusion front using a cycloaddition reaction. This process changes fluorescence color and enables study of complex replicating networks.

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Area of Science:

Synthetic chemistry
Chemical kinetics
Supramolecular chemistry

Background:

Autocatalytic replicators are key to understanding life's origins.
Reaction-diffusion systems exhibit complex spatio-temporal patterns.
Controlling these fronts is crucial for synthetic biology applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize a simple autocatalytic replicator.
To investigate its ability to initiate and propagate reaction-diffusion fronts.
To explore its potential for studying out-of-equilibrium replicating networks.

Main Methods:

1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction utilizing a nitrone and maleimide.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and UV-vis spectroscopy for kinetic studies.
Microsyringe setup to observe reaction-diffusion front propagation.

Main Results:

Efficient and diastereoselective synthesis of the autocatalytic replicator.
Replication process induces a visible fluorescence color change (yellow to blue).
Initiation and propagation of a reaction-diffusion front observed in a microsyringe.

Conclusions:

A synthetic replicator can establish and drive reaction-diffusion fronts.
This system provides a platform for studying interconnected replicating networks.
The observed optical changes offer a visual indicator of the replication process.