Replisome Textbook Cartoon (IMAGE)

DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory

Replisome Textbook Cartoon

Caption

These cartoons show the old "textbook" view of the replisome, left, and the new view, right, revealed by electron micrograph images in the current study. Prior to this study, scientists believed the two polymerases (green) were located at the bottom (or back end) of the helicase (tan), adding complementary DNA strands to the split DNA to produce copies side by side. The new images reveal that one polymerase is located at the front end of the helicase. The scientists are conducting additional studies to explore the biological significance of this unexpected location.

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Brookhaven National Laboratory

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