DNA replication

DNA replication copies a DNA molecule to produce two molecules, each containing one original strand and one newly synthesized strand.

Replication fork: A Y-shaped region where parental DNA strands separate and new strands are synthesized. This is the moving structure where the copying process occurs.
DNA: A molecule that stores hereditary information in sequences of nucleotides. Replication copies this molecule and uses each of its strands as a template.
Meselson–Stahl experiment: A 1958 experiment that used nitrogen isotopes to test models of DNA replication. Its density-gradient results showed that replication is semiconservative.
Origin of replication: A DNA sequence or region where replication begins. Replication starts at these sites, often at many locations in large eukaryotic genomes.
DNA replication fidelity: The accuracy with which DNA replication preserves the nucleotide sequence of a template. Polymerase selectivity and proofreading limit the errors introduced during copying.
DNA polymerase: An enzyme that synthesizes DNA by adding nucleotides to a growing strand. It builds new DNA strands by matching nucleotides to parental templates.
DNA double helix: The common DNA structure of two complementary nucleotide strands twisted around one another. Its paired strands must separate before each can guide synthesis.
Matthew Meselson: An American molecular biologist known for experiments on DNA replication and genetic recombination. He co-designed the isotope-labeling experiment that distinguished replication models.
Replication licensing: The cell-cycle control process that prepares replication origins to initiate DNA synthesis once per cycle. Licensing prevents genomic regions from being copied more than once per cell cycle.
DNA mismatch repair: A cellular pathway that detects and corrects mismatched bases left after DNA synthesis. It corrects copying errors that escape polymerase proofreading.

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