What enzymes help DNA replication in order?
What enzymes help DNA replication in order?
Answered
DNA replication is a highly orchestrated process that involves several enzymes working together to ensure the accurate duplication of the genome. The order of enzyme activity during replication is as follows: 1) Helicase – The first enzyme involved is helicase, which unwinds the DNA double helix by breaking the hydrogen bonds between complementary base pairs. This unwinding creates single-stranded regions of DNA known as replication forks. 2) Single-strand binding proteins (SSBs) – Once helicase unwinds the DNA, SSBs bind to the single-stranded DNA to prevent the strands from reannealing or forming secondary structures. 3) Primase – Primase is an RNA polymerase that synthesizes short RNA primers, typically about 10 nucleotides long, on the single-stranded DNA templates. These primers provide a 3′ hydroxyl group that is necessary for DNA polymerase to begin adding nucleotides. 4) DNA polymerase – The main enzyme for DNA replication is DNA polymerase, which extends the DNA strand by adding complementary nucleotides to the 3′ end of the RNA primer. DNA polymerase synthesizes the new strand in the 5′ to 3′ direction, and it also proofreads the newly synthesized DNA for errors. On the leading strand, DNA polymerase synthesizes continuously, while on the lagging strand, it synthesizes in short segments called Okazaki fragments. 5) DNA ligase – On the lagging strand, the DNA polymerase synthesizes short fragments, which are later joined together by DNA ligase. DNA ligase seals the phosphodiester bonds between the Okazaki fragments, creating a continuous strand. This sequence of enzyme activities ensures that the DNA is replicated accurately and efficiently.
BNO Team