Researchers found E.coli that had mutation rates one hundred times higher than normal.Which of the following is the most likely cause of these results?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The proofreading mechanism of DNA polymerase is responsible for correcting errors made during DNA replication. In the given scenario, E.coli had mutation rates one hundred times higher than normal, which suggests that the proofreading mechanism of DNA polymerase was not functioning correctly, resulting in increased mutation rates. Option A is not a likely cause as malfunctioning of single-stranded binding proteins will not affect DNA replication directly. Option B refers to errors during the initiation of DNA replication and not related to mutation rates. Option D refers to an issue in adding nucleotides to the growing chain, which is not related to mutation rates. Option E refers to telomerase activity, which is not related to bacterial DNA replication.

Researchers Found E