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Medical College Admission Test
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

Implications of Mutant DNA Polymerase Delta on Replication

Hard Biochemistry Nucleic Acids And Dna Replication

In the process of DNA replication, two main events occur: 1. The unwinding of the double helix structure of DNA, and 2. The synthesis of complementary strands from the originating template. This process is facilitated by a variety of enzymes including helicases, DNA polymerases, and ligases. Researchers have conducted extensive studies on how mutations in these enzymes can affect replication fidelity. A recent study indicates that a particular mutation in DNA polymerase delta (Pol ?), which is responsible for synthesizing the lagging strand, results in a decreased ability to proofread and correct errors during replication. This raises concerns about the overall stability of the organism's genome. Given this information, what implication does a malfunction of DNA polymerase delta have on DNA replication?

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