DNA polymerase is best described as which of the following?

DNA polymerase is best described as which of the following?

• A. Enzyme involved in DNA replication that joins individual nucleotides to their complementary base pair to produce a DNA molecule
• B. Enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix
• C. Enzyme that cuts DNA at specific sequences
• D. Enzyme that splices RNA during processing

Answer: (A)

DNA polymerase is the enzyme that carries out DNA replication by adding nucleotides to a growing DNA strand, using the existing strand as a template and matching each incoming nucleotide to its complementary base. It forms the phosphodiester bonds that link nucleotides into a continuous DNA molecule and operates in the 5' to 3' direction, often with proofreading to keep replication accurate. The other activities listed belong to different enzymes: unwinding the double helix is done by helicase, cutting DNA at specific sequences is the role of restriction enzymes, and splicing RNA during processing is performed by the spliceosome.

DNA polymerase is the enzyme that carries out DNA replication by adding nucleotides to a growing DNA strand, using the existing strand as a template and matching each incoming nucleotide to its complementary base. It forms the phosphodiester bonds that link nucleotides into a continuous DNA molecule and operates in the 5' to 3' direction, often with proofreading to keep replication accurate. The other activities listed belong to different enzymes: unwinding the double helix is done by helicase, cutting DNA at specific sequences is the role of restriction enzymes, and splicing RNA during processing is performed by the spliceosome.