What Are the Fidelity and Error Rates of DNA Polymerase?
DNA polymerase exhibits high fidelity due to its ability to select the correct nucleotides and perform proofreading functions. The enzyme has an intrinsic 3' to 5' exonuclease activity that removes incorrectly incorporated nucleotides, thereby reducing the error rate to approximately one mistake per 10^7 to 10^8 nucleotides added.
