In prokaryotic chromosomes, replication typically starts from how many origins?

• A. Thousands
• B. Several
• C. One Origin
• D. None

Answer: (C)

Prokaryotic chromosomes are replicated from a single starting point. In bacteria, the circular chromosome has one origin of replication, called oriC. From this site, two replication forks move in opposite directions around the circle, duplicating the entire genome efficiently. This single-origin setup suits their small, compact genomes and allows coordinated, timely replication within the cell cycle. Choosing more than one origin would imply a more complex initiation pattern not typical of bacterial chromosomes, and saying there are none would make replication impossible. So, the typical starting point is one origin.