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Multiple Choice
What step occurs after DNA helicase breaks hydrogen bonds to separate DNA strands during DNA replication?
A
Joining of DNA fragments by DNA ligase
B
Formation of Okazaki fragments
C
Initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase
D
Binding of single-strand binding proteins to stabilize the unwound DNA
Verified step by step guidance
1
During DNA replication, the enzyme DNA helicase unwinds the double helix by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the complementary bases of the DNA strands.
Once the DNA strands are separated, they tend to re-anneal or form secondary structures due to their complementary nature.
To prevent the separated strands from re-annealing or forming secondary structures, single-strand binding proteins (SSBs) bind to the unwound DNA strands.
These single-strand binding proteins stabilize the unwound DNA, ensuring that the strands remain separated and accessible for replication.
This stabilization allows other enzymes, such as DNA polymerase, to synthesize new DNA strands by adding nucleotides complementary to the template strands.