Unzips DNA.

Unzips DNA.

• A. DNA polymerase III
• B. Helicase
• C. Telomere
• D. Codon

Answer: (B)

Unzipping DNA means separating the two strands of the double helix so each strand can serve as a template for copying. The enzyme that does this is helicase. It binds at the replication fork and uses energy from ATP hydrolysis to break the hydrogen bonds between base pairs, effectively unwinding the helix and creating single-stranded templates for replication or transcription. While DNA polymerase III is the main enzyme that synthesizes new DNA, it cannot unwind the strands on its own and needs helicase to expose the templates first. Telomeres are the protective ends of chromosomes and are maintained by telomerase, not involved in strand separation, and a codon is a three-nucleotide sequence in mRNA that codes for an amino acid, unrelated to unwinding.

Unzipping DNA means separating the two strands of the double helix so each strand can serve as a template for copying. The enzyme that does this is helicase. It binds at the replication fork and uses energy from ATP hydrolysis to break the hydrogen bonds between base pairs, effectively unwinding the helix and creating single-stranded templates for replication or transcription. While DNA polymerase III is the main enzyme that synthesizes new DNA, it cannot unwind the strands on its own and needs helicase to expose the templates first. Telomeres are the protective ends of chromosomes and are maintained by telomerase, not involved in strand separation, and a codon is a three-nucleotide sequence in mRNA that codes for an amino acid, unrelated to unwinding.