DNA polymerase assembles new strands in a ____.
A) 5' to 3' direction only
B) 5' to 3' direction building one strand and a 3' to 5' direction building the other stand
C) 5' to 3' direction building the first half of a strand and a 3' to 5' direction building the second half of a strand
D) 3' to 5' direction building the first half of a strand and a 5' to 3' direction building the second half of a strand
E) 3' to 5' direction on the "old" 3' to 5' strand

Question

DNA polymerase assembles new strands in a ____.  
A) 5' to 3' direction only
B) 5' to 3' direction building one strand and a 3' to 5' direction building the other stand
C) 5' to 3' direction building the first half of a strand and a 3' to 5' direction building the second half of a strand
D) 3' to 5' direction building the first half of a strand and a 5' to 3' direction building the second half of a strand
E) 3' to 5' direction on the "old" 3' to 5' strand

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

DNA polymerase can only add nucleotides to the 3' end of a strand, therefore DNA polymerase assembles new strands in the 5' to 3' direction only.

DNA Polymerase Assembles New Strands in a ____