Final answer:
In bacteria, the cell recognizes the newly synthesized strand containing the mismatch through a mechanism called mismatch repair. During replication, the parental strand is methylated while the daughter strand is not.
Step-by-step explanation:
In bacteria, the cell recognizes which strand is the newly synthesized strand and contains the mismatch through a mechanism called mismatch repair. One example of mismatch repair in bacteria is the methyl-directed mismatch repair in E. coli. During replication, the parental strand is methylated, while the newly synthesized daughter strand is not. Mismatch repair enzymes such as Muts, MutL, and MutH bind to the hemimethylated site where the incorrect nucleotide is found. MutH cuts the nonmethylated strand (the new strand), and an exonuclease removes a portion of the strand including the incorrect nucleotide. The gap is then filled in by DNA pol III and ligase.