The nitrogenous base is attached to the sugar molecule at the first carbon atom (1') and the sugar molecule is attached to the phosphate group at the 5-carbon atom (5')
Nuclear DNA is found in the nucleus of the cell, has 2 sets of 23 chromosomes, maternal and paternal chromosomes, DNA packed into chromatin, bounded by a nuclear envelope, double helix structure
Mitochondrial DNA is found in mitochondria of the cells, each mitochondrion may have several copies of the single DNA molecule, maternal only chromosomes, DNA is not packed into chromatin, free of a nuclear envelope, circular structure
Nuclear DNA can discriminate between individuals of the same maternal lineage, mitochondrial DNA cannot discriminate between individuals of the same maternal lineage
Chromosomes are not normally visible as discrete units unless the cell is dividing and the long strands have condensed to form shorter, thicker rod-like structures
1. Enzyme DNA helicase unwinds the double helix by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the base pairs in a molecule
2. Region where DNA begins replicating forms a replication fork
3. DNA replication proceeds in the 5’ → 3’ direction, proceeding in opposite directions (bidirectional) on the same molecule
4. DNA polymerase enzyme moves along the exposed bases of the template strand allowing complementary free DNA nucleotides to bind and form a new DNA strand
5. Two new molecules of DNA are formed from one DNA molecule, in each molecule one strand is ‘old’ and the other is ‘new’