What is DNA polymerase 1?

DNA polymerase I is an enzyme that plays a role in the process of DNA replication, according to the biochemical research firm Worthington Biochemical Corporation. DNA polymerase I is abundant, and its task is to fill spaces in DNA if they occur during replication, repair and recombination.

DNA polymerase I was initially characterized in E. coli by Arthur Kornberg in 1958, according to a manuscript posted in the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The gene encoding DNA polymerase I contains about 3,000 base pairs and encodes approximately 1,000 amino acids in a simple chain of amino acids joined together through peptide bonds.