Which process is primarily involved in matching nucleotides to form the new DNA strand?

The process primarily involved in matching nucleotides to form a new DNA strand is replication. During DNA replication, the double helix unwinds, and each original strand serves as a template for the synthesis of a new complementary strand. This is achieved through the enzyme DNA polymerase, which assembles free nucleotides into a new strand based on the base pairing rules (adenine with thymine and cytosine with guanine).

Replication is critical for cell division, as it ensures that each new cell receives an exact copy of the DNA. This process is essential for maintaining genetic consistency across generations of cells, thereby supporting growth, repair, and reproduction in living organisms.

The other processes listed, such as translation and transcription, serve different functions in the central dogma of molecular biology. Translation is the process by which proteins are synthesized from messenger RNA (mRNA) templates, while transcription is the process of creating mRNA from a DNA template. Translocation typically refers to the movement of segments of DNA or RNA within a cell or during processes such as mitosis and meiosis, which is not relevant to DNA strand formation.