The first steps in bacterial DNA replication are represented in the figure below, in which the letters T and U point to ________, respectively.
A) strand separation at GC-rich regions and binding of gyrase at oriC
B) strand separation at the 13-mer repeats and binding of DnaA-ATP proteins at the 9-mer repeats
C) strand separation at the 9-mer repeats and binding of DamA proteins at the 9-mer repeats
D) strand separation at the 13-mer repeats and binding of SeqA proteins at the 9-mer repeats
E) synthesis of RNA primer and binding of primase

Question

The first steps in bacterial DNA replication are represented in the figure below, in which the letters T and U point to ________, respectively. 
A) strand separation at GC-rich regions and binding of gyrase at oriC 
B) strand separation at the 13-mer repeats and binding of DnaA-ATP proteins at the 9-mer repeats 
C) strand separation at the 9-mer repeats and binding of DamA proteins at the 9-mer repeats 
D) strand separation at the 13-mer repeats and binding of SeqA proteins at the 9-mer repeats 
E) synthesis of RNA primer and binding of primase

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The first steps in bacterial DNA replication involve the strand separation at the 13-mer repeats and the subsequent binding of DnaA-ATP proteins at the 9-mer repeats. This is necessary to initiate replication by recruiting other replication proteins and forming a pre-replication complex. The letters T and U in the figure likely point to the thymine and uracil bases, which are interchangeable in RNA and DNA molecules, respectively. The other choices listed are not accurate descriptions of the initial steps in bacterial DNA replication.

The First Steps in Bacterial DNA Replication Are Represented in the Figure