Question

Which enzyme initiates the process of replication?

Answer 1

The enzyme that initiates the process of replication is DNA helicase, not DNA polymerase.

DNA replication is a highly complex process that occurs during the S phase of the cell cycle to ensure that a cell's genetic material is accurately copied for cell division. Several enzymes play crucial roles in this process, including:

1. DNA Helicase: This is the enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the complementary base pairs, creating two single-stranded DNA templates that are necessary for replication to occur. DNA helicase is typically the first enzyme involved in the process of DNA replication.

2. DNA Polymerase: Once the DNA strands are unwound, DNA polymerase is the enzyme responsible for adding nucleotides to the growing strand of DNA during replication. It reads the template strand and synthesizes a new complementary strand. DNA polymerase can only add nucleotides to an existing strand of DNA, so it requires a primer to start the synthesis.

3. Primase: Before DNA polymerase can begin adding nucleotides, another enzyme called primase synthesizes a short RNA primer to provide a starting point for DNA polymerase.

Summary: While DNA polymerase is the key enzyme for synthesizing the new DNA strand, DNA helicase is the enzyme that initiates the process of replication by unwinding the DNA double helix.