Which Statement Below is FALSE Regarding Replication of the Bacterial

Question

Which statement below is FALSE regarding replication of the bacterial chromosome?
A)Replication occurs in a bidirectional manner from the origin of replication.
B)The leading strand is replicated in the 5' to 3' direction and the lagging strand in the 3' to 5' direction.
C)The primase adds a short RNA primer to serve as a starting point for the DNA polymerase to add new bases.
D)DNA replication is a semi-conservative process,where one strand serves as a template for the synthesis of a complementary strand.
E)The incoming nucleotide triphosphate is covalently attached to the free 3' hydroxyl.

Accepted Answer

The statement "The leading strand is replicated in the 5' to 3' direction and the lagging strand in the 3' to 5' direction" is false. Both strands are replicated in the 5' to 3' direction, but the lagging strand is synthesized discontinuously as short Okazaki fragments in the opposite direction.