FIG. 1.

The central dogma of molecular biology for a replicating chromosome. Replication forks form at the origin of replication and proceed along both sides of the chromosome until they meet at the terminus. Each gene, depending on its location, gets copied at its own gene replication time t_r; prior to t_r an single copy exists, and afterward two copies exist. The gene can be transcribed into mRNA, which in turn can be translated to form proteins.