Index >> Replication of DNA >> DNA Polymerases Fermentation

DNA Polymerases - In 1957 Kornberg discovered an enzyme (in E. coli) that was responsible for the polymerization of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates on a DNA template to form a new complementary DNA strand,. This enzyme was called DNA polymerase.

For catalysing DNA synthesis the Kornberg DNA polymerase requires the four ribonucleoside triphosphates (dATP, dGTP, dTTP and dCTP), a DNA template, a primer and Mg++. In prokaryotic cells there are three DNA polymerase activities, known as polymerase I, polymerase 11 and polymerase III (also called Pol I, Pol II and Pol III). Eukaryote cells have at least three DNA polymerases, a, fl, and y.