BioSphere — Interactive Biology Learning

The primary multi-subunit enzyme complex responsible for synthesizing leading and lagging DNA strands during replication.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONAdds complementary dNTPs to 3' OH end of growing DNA strand with error rate < 1 in 10^9.

LOCATION IN CELLReplication Forks in Cell Nucleus

ESTIMATED STUDY TIME⏱️ 15 Mins

PROTEIN CONFORMATION EXPLORER

4 Hierarchical Protein Structural Levels

LEVEL 1 ARCHITECTURE

Primary Structure

Linear sequence of amino acids joined by covalent peptide bonds.

KEY STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Specified directly by mRNA coding sequence
Reads N-terminus to C-terminus

STRUCTURAL ANATOMY

Key Molecular Components

Alpha Subunit

5' → 3' Polymerase catalytic domain.

Epsilon Subunit

3' → 5' Exonuclease proofreading domain.

Beta Sliding Clamp

Ring-shaped dimer encircling DNA for high processivity.

INTERACTIVE MOLECULAR LAB & SANDBOX

DNA Base Pairing Sandbox

Given the 5' → 3' template DNA strand below, build the complementary 3' → 5' strand by selecting matching nucleotides (A-T, G-C).

Template Strand:

ATGCGATCGATC

Your Strand:

Select Nucleotide to Add:

MOLECULAR ASSESSMENT & CERTIFICATION

DNA Polymerase III Evaluation Suite

REWARD+240 XP

Q1: What is the primary biological function of DNA Polymerase III?

Q2: Which cell location contains Pol III?

LOADING 3D BIO-SYSTEMS...