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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Apr 7.
Published in final edited form as: J Theor Biol. 2009 Dec 23;263(3):317–327. doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2009.12.020

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Non-templated polymerization and template-directed synthesis occur inside a model system using activated monomers supplied from the exterior. Replication begins when a primer (of length k) binds to a template (of length n) so that their ends are aligned. Template-directed elongation occurs until the primer has been extended to a sequence of length n. The pair then dissociates, yielding the original template and a copy. The two sequences can then begin a new cycle of replication. Activated monomers can be hydrolyzed, thereby losing activation, and all sequences are degraded at a fixed rate.