Imagine that the DNA replication error rate for a strain of bacterium that has a defective repair mechanism is 1 in 10 million.If the cell's genome is 5 million nucleotide pairs,how often will the genome sustain a mutation in this strain,keeping in mind that both strands of a DNA molecule are replicated at once?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The error rate of 1 in 10 million means that in each replication cycle, there is a 1 in 10 million chance that a mutation will occur in a single nucleotide pair. Since both strands of DNA are replicated at once, the entire genome is duplicated, so the chance of a mutation occurring in any given nucleotide pair of the genome during replication is 1 in 5 million. Therefore, the genome will sustain a mutation once per cell division.

Imagine That the DNA Replication Error Rate for a Strain