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Multiple Choice
What structure does helicase unwind during DNA replication?
A
The sugar-phosphate backbone
B
The ribosome
C
The nucleosome
D
The double helix
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the role of helicase in DNA replication. Helicase is an enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix, allowing the replication machinery to access the strands.
Identify the structure of DNA. DNA is composed of two strands forming a double helix, held together by hydrogen bonds between complementary bases.
Recognize that the sugar-phosphate backbone forms the sides of the DNA double helix, but helicase specifically targets the hydrogen bonds between the bases to separate the strands.
Differentiate between the structures mentioned: the sugar-phosphate backbone is part of the DNA helix, the ribosome is involved in protein synthesis, and the nucleosome is a unit of DNA packaging in eukaryotic cells.
Conclude that helicase unwinds the double helix of DNA by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the base pairs, allowing replication to proceed.