Following the process of helicase-mediated unwinding in prokaryotic replication, which proteins serve the critical role of ensuring the stabilization of the individuated DNA strands?
Replication protein A
DNA Polymerase Alpha
Single Strand Binding Proteins
All are true.
During prokaryotic replication, after the helicase enzyme unwinds the DNA strands, it is crucial to stabilize the separated strands to prevent them from reannealing or becoming damaged. This stabilization is achieved by single-strand binding proteins (SSBs). SSBs bind tightly to the exposed single-stranded DNA, preventing it from forming secondary structures or being degraded by nucleases.
Hence, the correct answer is option 3.