DNA replication in bacteria occurs rapidly at approximately 1000 nucleotides per second, which is approximately ten times the speed of eukaryotes. It also occurs at a single origin to begin replication.

DNA Replication in Prokaryotes

Helicase separates the DNA strands by severing the hydrogen bonds between the DNA base pairs at the origin of replication. This requires ATP for energy. This creates the replication fork which are at each end of the replicating DNA.

Helicase

The sliding clamp protein keeps DNA polymerase in place while it synthesizes DNA.

Sliding Clamp

DNA ligase joins the Okazaki fragments on the newly synthesized DNA of the lagging strand by forming the phosphodiester linkages between the DNA fragments.

DNA ligase

RNA Primase adds a primer to the DNA to begin replication. This is necessary because DNA polymerase requires a 3'-hydroxyl group to add nucleotides for DNA replication. RNA Primase provides this 3'-hydroxyl by adding a short strand of RNA with a 3'-hydroxyl end to the single stranded DNA. 

RNA Primase

Single-stranded binding proteins (SSBs) coat the single-stranded DNA to ensure it does not prematurely rewind into a helix during DNA replication. 

Single-stranded binding proteins (SSBs)

Topoisomerase is responsible for relaxing DNA to begin DNA replication. They relax the DNA by making cuts in the DNA. 

Topoisomerase

There are several kinds of DNA Polymerases in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. DNA Polymerase adds nucleotides to DNA strands in replication.This process requires energy.

DNA Polymerase

While eukaryotes and prokaryotes have some differences between their processes of DNA replication, they share many of the same proteins needed for replication. These are: 

- DNA Polymerase
- Helicase
- Topoisomerase
- Sliding Clamp
- Primase
- Single-stranded binding protein
- Ligase

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DNA replication is the copying of the genome. It happens in prokaryotic, archaeal, eukaryotic and viral genomes. DNA replication is semiconservative. This describes how, during DNA replication, the DNA is separated and single strands serve as the template for the synthesized DNA. This was determined by Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl in 1958. 

DNA Replication

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The steps of DNA replication are shared between eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The steps of DNA replication are: 
1. Initiation
2. Elongation
3. Termination

The Steps of DNA Replication

Enzymes Involved in DNA Replication

- Lagging Strand
- Leading Strand
- Okazaki Fragment
- Replication Fork
- Replication Bubble

Key Components of DNA Replication

DNA Replication shares many of the same enzymes and components across organisms. However, there are key difference between many of them.

Here we designate the different types of DNA replication: 
- Prokaryotic DNA Replication
- Eukaryotic DNA Replication

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