One major difficulty in replicating linear DNA molecules is replacing the segment of DNA occupied by the RNA primer on the telomeres at the ends of the DNA.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The difficulty in replicating the ends of linear DNA molecules, known as the end replication problem, arises because DNA polymerase can only add nucleotides to an existing strand and requires an RNA primer. Once replication reaches the end of a linear chromosome, the RNA primer is removed, leaving a section of unreplicated DNA. This issue is partly addressed by the enzyme telomerase, which extends the telomeres, but the challenge of completely replicating the end segments remains significant.

One Major Difficulty in Replicating Linear DNA Molecules Is Replacing