AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Primase is an enzyme that synthesizes short RNA sequences called primers. These primers serve as a starting point for DNA synthesis. Since primase produces RNA molecules, the enzyme is a type of RNA polymerase.

Detailed explanation-2: -Primase synthesizes an RNA primer to initiate synthesis by DNA polymerase, which can add nucleotides in only one direction.

Detailed explanation-3: -The primase generates short strands of RNA that bind to the single-stranded DNA to initiate DNA synthesis by the DNA polymerase. This enzyme can work only in the 5’ to 3’ direction, so it replicates the leading strand continuously.

Detailed explanation-4: -In contrast to DNA synthesis, the synthesis of RNA can initiate de novo, and an enzyme called primase synthesizes short fragments of RNA (e.g., three to ten nucleotides long) complementary to the lagging strand template at the replication fork.