In eukaryotic cells, DNA replication occurs in the nucleus. The nucleus houses the cell’s genetic material and serves as the site where the DNA is unwound, replicated, and re-coiled for mitosis. In prokaryotic cells, which lack a membrane-bound nucleus, DNA replication takes place in the cytoplasm. The cell’s single circular chromosome is replicated in a process that begins at specific locations called origins of replication. Despite the location differences, the basic mechanisms of DNA replication are conserved across cell types.
