NEETZoologyMolecular Basis of Inheritance
Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A): During DNA replication, the synthesis is continuous on one template strand and discontinuous on the other. Reason (R): The DNA-dependent DNA polymerase catalyses polymerisation only in one direction, that is 5^ 3^ . In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the o
Options
- ABoth (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
- BBoth (A) and (R) are correct but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
- C(A) is correct but (R) is not correct
- D(A) is not correct but (R) is correct
Correct answer
A. Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
Step-by-step solution
According to NCERT, DNA-dependent DNA polymerases catalyse polymerisation only in one direction, that is 5^ 3^ . Because the two strands of DNA are antiparallel, this unidirectional property creates additional complications at the replicating fork. Consequently, on one strand (the template with polarity 3^ 5^ ), the replication is continuous, while on the other (the template with polarity 5^ 3^ ), it is discontinuous (forming Okazaki fragments). Therefore, both Assertion and Reason are correct, and the Reason is th