NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Primer synthesis marks the beginning of the actual synthesis of the new DNA molecule. Primers are short stretches of nucleotides (about 10 to 12 bases in length) synthesized by an RNA polymerase enzyme called primase.

Detailed explanation-2: -A single-stranded DNA-binding protein is required to stabilize the unwound template, and the DNA polymerase -primase complex then initiates DNA synthesis.

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: -The initiation process can generally be considered to involve four steps: recognition (binding of the initiator to the replicator), melting, unwinding (which requires helicase activity) and recruitment of replication factors, such as DNA polymerases and single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBs).

Detailed explanation-5: -Primase functions by synthesizing short RNA sequences that are complementary to a single-stranded piece of DNA, which serves as its template. It is critical that primers are synthesized by primase before DNA replication can occur.