Abstract
Replication is the defining operation of any hereditary system. While duplex DNA replication relies on strand separation and template-directed synthesis, a canonical tetra-stranded genome cannot be replicated by a simple extension of this paradigm. In this work, I develop plausible replication cycles for Q-DNA, a canonical tetra-stranded hereditary polymer, and analyze the minimal mechanistic and enzymatic constraints required for faithful copying. I propose three classes of replication strategies— 2+2 strand separation, guide-strand replication, and partial-template replication—and derive testable predictions regarding intermediates, ion dependence, and replication asymmetries. This framework renders Q-DNA replication experimentally falsifiable and establishes replication as a decisive feasibility axis for tetra-stranded heredity.
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