Which cellular process involves the joining of Okazaki fragments?

The joining of Okazaki fragments is a key aspect of DNA replication, which occurs during the S phase of the cell cycle. During this process, the DNA double helix unwinds, and new strands of DNA are synthesized. Because DNA polymerase can only add nucleotides in a 5' to 3' direction, the lagging strand is synthesized discontinuously in short segments known as Okazaki fragments. These fragments are later joined together by the enzyme DNA ligase to form a continuous strand. This mechanism ensures that the genetic information is accurately duplicated for cell division.

Other processes mentioned, such as translation and transcription, involve different functions related to the synthesis of proteins and RNA, respectively, and do not deal with the joining of Okazaki fragments. Cell division is the final outcome of successful DNA replication but does not itself involve the joining of these fragments. Thus, the correct answer, DNA replication, directly relates to the processes involving Okazaki fragments.