Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Science

A protein thought to play a supporting role in DNA replication actually facilitates the whole process

Every time a cell divides, it must copy its entire genome so that each daughter cell inherits a complete set of DNA. During that process, enzymes known as polymerases race along the DNA to copy its code and build new strands. To prevent these machines from detaching mid-copy, a clamp-like protein te...

A protein thought to play a supporting role in DNA replication actually facilitates the whole process
Image: Phys.org
Every time a cell divides, it must copy its entire genome so that each daughter cell inherits a complete set of DNA. During that process, enzymes known as polymerases race along the DNA to copy its code and build new strands. To prevent these machines from detaching mid-copy, a clamp-like protein tethers the polymerases to DNA, while another protein, Replication Factor C (RFC), snaps that ring into place.

Originally published at Phys.org

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