If an incorrect nucleotide slips into the active site and a phosphodiester bond forms anyway, the enzyme can reverse direction. The correct nucleotide is then reloaded, allowing synthesis to continue without propagating the error.
The Step-by-Step Mechanism of DNA Polymerase Adding Nucleotides
DNA polymerase is not a static clamp; it undergoes conformational changes upon nucleotide binding. DNA polymerase adds nucleotides through a precise, template-directed mechanism that ensures genetic information is copied with remarkable fidelity.
The process is a dynamic interaction between the protein, the DNA substrate, and the incoming nucleoside triphosphate. DNA polymerase interacts with sliding clamps and other accessory proteins that tether it to the template.
The Step-by-Step Mechanism of DNA Polymerase Adding Nucleotides
The palm domain of the enzyme closes around the reacting groups, creating an environment that excludes water. This oxygen atom attacks the alpha-phosphate of the incoming dNTP, displacing the beta and gamma phosphates as pyrophosphate.
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