DNA replication 3D Animation #DNA replication

DNA replication is the biological process of producing two identical replicas of DNA from one original DNA molecule. DNA replication occurs in all living organisms acting as the most essential part for biological inheritance.

Types

Three types of DNA replication can be distinguished: conservative, semiconservative, dispersive. All these types allow making a daughter DNA consisting of the same amount of mother DNA and newly formed.

Basic steps

There are three main steps to DNA replication: initiation, elongation, and termination. In order to fit within a cell's nucleus, DNA is packed into tightly coiled structures called chromatin, which loosens prior to replication, allowing the cell replication machinery to access the DNA strands.