The epsilon (ε) subunit of DNA polymerase III of E. coli has exonuclease activity. How does it function in the proofreading process? The epsilon subunit ________.

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The epsilon subunit of DNA polymerase III has exonuclease activity, which allows it to remove a mismatched nucleotide from the growing DNA strand during the proofreading process. This ensures that the correct nucleotide is inserted before DNA synthesis continues. The epsilon subunit does not excise a segment of DNA or recognize the template or parent strand. Additionally, the epsilon subunit does not add nucleotide triphosphates to the growing DNA strand, as this is the function of the polymerase subunit.

The Epsilon (ε) Subunit of DNA Polymerase III of E