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Genes: Structure, Replication, and Organization

Genes: Structure, Replication, and Organization

Copyright: © 2019 |Pages: 17
ISBN13: 9781522580669|ISBN10: 1522580662|EISBN13: 9781522580676
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-8066-9.ch007
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MLA

Oscar J. Wambuguh. "Genes: Structure, Replication, and Organization." Examining the Causal Relationship Between Genes, Epigenetics, and Human Health, IGI Global, 2019, pp.145-161. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-8066-9.ch007

APA

O. Wambuguh (2019). Genes: Structure, Replication, and Organization. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-8066-9.ch007

Chicago

Oscar J. Wambuguh. "Genes: Structure, Replication, and Organization." In Examining the Causal Relationship Between Genes, Epigenetics, and Human Health. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2019. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-8066-9.ch007

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Abstract

Two types of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, carry genetic information of organisms across generations. Many researchers are credited with the early work that laid the foundation of the discovery of the structure of DNA. During cell division, the cell replicates its DNA and organelles during the synthesis (S) phase of the cell cycle. Four main steps are involved in the processes of replication. DNA replication errors and cells have evolved a complex system of fixing most (but not all) of those replication errors proofreading and mismatch repair. With repeated cell division, the DNA molecule shortens with the loss of critical genes, leading to cell death. In gonads, a special enzyme called telomerase lengthens telomeres from its own RNA sequence which serves as a template to synthesize new telomeres. Although most DNA is packaged within the nucleus, mitochondria have a small amount of their own DNA called mitochondrial DNA. This chapter explores this aspect of genes.

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