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Eukaryotes initiate DNA replication at multiple points in the chromosome, so replication forks meet and terminate at many points in the chromosome. Because eukaryotes have linear chromosomes, DNA replication is unable to reach the very end of the chromosomes. Due to this problem, DNA is lost in each replication cycle from the end of the chromosome.
During the S-phase of each cell cycle (Figure 1), all of the DNA in a cell is duplicated in order to provide one copy to each of the daughter cells after the next cell division. The process of duplicating DNA is called DNA replication, and it takes place by first unwinding the duplex DNA molecule, starting at many locations called DNA ...
For DNA polymerases to function, the double-stranded DNA helix has to be unwound to expose two single-stranded DNA templates for replication. DNA helicases are responsible for unwinding the double-stranded DNA during chromosome replication. Helicases in eukaryotic cells are remarkably complex. [106]
The eukaryotic cell cycle consists of four distinct phases: G 1 phase, S phase (synthesis), G 2 phase (collectively known as interphase) and M phase (mitosis and cytokinesis). M phase is itself composed of two tightly coupled processes: mitosis, in which the cell's nucleus divides, and cytokinesis, in which the cell's cytoplasm and cell membrane divides forming two daughter cells.
The large genome sizes of eukaryotic cells, which range from 12 Mbp in S. cerevisiae to more than 100 Gbp in some plants, necessitates that DNA replication starts at several hundred (in budding yeast) to tens of thousands (in humans) origins to complete DNA replication of all chromosomes during each cell cycle.
Cell division in prokaryotes (binary fission) and eukaryotes (mitosis and meiosis). The thick lines are chromosomes, and the thin blue lines are fibers pulling on the chromosomes and pushing the ends of the cell apart. The cell cycle in eukaryotes: I = Interphase, M = Mitosis, G 0 = Gap 0, G 1 = Gap 1, G 2 = Gap 2, S = Synthesis, G 3 = Gap 3.
If the cell is not to divide again, it will enter G 0. [3] Synthesis (S), in which the cell synthesizes its DNA and the amount of DNA is doubled but the number of chromosomes remains constant (via semiconservative replication). G 2 (Gap 2), in which the cell resumes its growth in preparation for division. The cell continues to grow until ...
Schematic karyogram of the human chromosomes, showing their usual state in the G 0 and G 1 phase of the cell cycle. At top center it also shows the chromosome 3 pair in metaphase (annotated as "Meta."), which takes place after having undergone DNA synthesis which occurs in the S phase (annotated as S) of the cell cycle.