ABSTRACT
The primary function of a genome is to specify the biochemical signature of the cell in which it resides. We have seen that the genome achieves this objective by synthesis and maintenance of a transcriptome and proteome whose individual RNA and protein components carry out and regulate the cell’s biochemical activities. In order to continue performing this function, the genome must replicate every time that the cell divides. This means that the entire DNA content of the cell must be copied at the appropriate period in the cell cycle, and the resulting DNA molecules must be distributed to the daughter cells so that each one receives a complete copy of the genome.
