What is the difference between replication and duplication of dna

During DNA replication, an exact replica of each chromosome is synthesized. This doubles the amount of DNA inside the cell. Thus, each chromatid gets doubled and is now called the sister chromatids. They are held together from the centromere. Hence, the number of chromosomes in the cell does not increase. Moreover, though the amount of DNA has increased by twice, the ploidy of the cell remains the same. In addition to DNA duplication, there is another phenomenon called gene duplication where a part of the nucleotide sequence of a gene is repeated one or several times.

This is a type of mutation that increases the rate of error in DNA. Replication refers to the process by which a double-stranded DNA molecule is copied to produce two identical DNA molecules while duplication refers to the process by which the amount of DNA inside the nucleus gets doubled. Hence, this is the main difference between replication and duplication of DNA.

It should be noted that replication and duplication technically refer to processes , not any result or object that results from such processes. Previous answers refer to the end result to determine which process has been followed replication or duplication ; ie that a duplicate is normally an exact copy of an original such as a photocopy of a paper whereas a replica is not necessarily to the exact specifications or dimensions.

However if is important to note that while the processes of duplication and replication may be different, the end result from both can still be identical. For example: A computer programmer codes some software that produces a result.

Another programmer is asked to replicate that software. The second programmer may use an entirely different method to achieve the same result. However, in an entirely different example: if it is found that two people are performing the exact same task and the repetition of work is unnecessary, this is referred to as a duplication of work irregardless of whether the two are strictly following the same process, so there are clearly exceptions. Finally, although the correct English terms for the results of duplication and replication would be duplicate and replica , it is not uncommon in colloquial speech to hear them referred to by their processes.

Incorrect, but nevertheless sometimes used. In addition to the answers above, I would add that a duplicate mostly apply to objects, like an ID card duplicate in case of loss or damage, a line in a source code, a photocopy of a document The noun replicate was already stated by previous answers, but now, let's consider the verb to replicate.

Consider a crime scene witnessed by someone. When asked from the police, the witness may for example replicate the gestures of the murderer to describe how the scene went. In this context, it is more like mimics , trying to be as close as possible to the original action. Now, consider software engineering. The tester tells the programmer that there is a bug on the X module. The programmer tests the module but is unable to find out what manipulations the tester did in order to the bug to occur.

He then calls the tester to show him what he did step by step. The tester then replicates his actions and the bug is occuring again. So, the verb to replicate may still infer copying something , but it could also be re-doing something , as the verb to duplicate is mostly making a copy of something.

In addition to the answers above, I get the impression that "duplication" generally refers to one duplicate copy as opposed to triplicate , and sometimes a few eg "I cut four duplicate keys from the original, and I still have the duplicate keys with me" , and the focus is more on the object being duplicated.

So you may have a duplicate that you used a different process to produce, as long as they are identical in all ways that matter. A duplicate is also normally scale to the original. Whereas "replicate" seems to be more focused on the process and the result is the same or close to the same because you performed the same process, or at least you say you did if its something you are selling to tourists.

A replica may be scaled up or down from the original and still be called a replica eg "He replicated his winning sales strategy from a small business beginning all the way up to a multi-million dollar company". Anyway, my 5c worth, based on my understanding of usage in Australia, sailing and computer science. Duplication is making an exact copy of an existing ojbect you duplicate the key of your house. Replication is making many object from the same model, for example industry mass produtions, you replicate the same car model.

Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. What's the difference between "replication" and "duplication"?

Ask Question. Asked 3 years, 6 months ago. During separation, the two strands of the DNA double helix uncoil at a specific location called the origin.

Several enzymes and proteins then work together to prepare, or prime , the strands for duplication. The following description of this three-stage process applies generally to all cells, but specific variations within the process may occur depending on organism and cell type.

Figure 2: While helicase and the initiator protein not shown separate the two polynucleotide chains, primase red assembles a primer. This primer permits the next step in the replication process. The sugar-phosphate backbones of each strand are depicted as a segmented grey cylinder. Nitrogenous bases on each strand are represented by blue, orange, red, or green horizontal rectangles attached to each segment of the sugar-phosphate backbone.

The bases form rungs of red-green or blue-orange between the grey cylinders. Helicase is bound to the ends of several nitrogenous bases on the lower strand.

Beside it, four nitrogenous bases, each attached to a sugar molecule, have been annealed to complementary nitrogenous bases on the bottom strand. About three dozen individual nucleotides float in the background. Meanwhile, as the helicase separates the strands, another enzyme called primase briefly attaches to each strand and assembles a foundation at which replication can begin.

This foundation is a short stretch of nucleotides called a primer Figure 2. As DNA polymerase makes its way down the unwound DNA strand, it relies upon the pool of free-floating nucleotides surrounding the existing strand to build the new strand.

The nucleotides that make up the new strand are paired with partner nucleotides in the template strand; because of their molecular structures, A and T nucleotides always pair with one another, and C and G nucleotides always pair with one another. This phenomenon is known as complementary base pairing Figure 4 , and it results in the production of two complementary strands of DNA.

Base pairing ensures that the sequence of nucleotides in the existing template strand is exactly matched to a complementary sequence in the new strand, also known as the anti-sequence of the template strand. Later, when the new strand is itself copied, its complementary strand will contain the same sequence as the original template strand. Thus, as a result of complementary base pairing, the replication process proceeds as a series of sequence and anti-sequence copying that preserves the coding of the original DNA.

In the prokaryotic bacterium E. In comparison, eukaryotic human DNA replicates at a rate of 50 nucleotides per second. In both cases, replication occurs so quickly because multiple polymerases can synthesize two new strands at the same time by using each unwound strand from the original DNA double helix as a template.

One of these original strands is called the leading strand, whereas the other is called the lagging strand. The leading strand is synthesized continuously, as shown in Figure 5. In contrast, the lagging strand is synthesized in small, separate fragments that are eventually joined together to form a complete, newly copied strand. This page appears in the following eBook. Aa Aa Aa. How is DNA replicated?

What triggers replication?