Enzymes involved in DNA replication are:

In living organisms, primers are short strands of RNA. The synthesis of a primer is necessary because the enzymes that synthesize DNA, which are called DNA polymerases, can only attach new DNA nucleotides to an existing strand of nucleotides. The primer therefore serves to prime and lay a foundation for DNA synthesis.

Primase synthesizes a short piece of RNA that is complementary to the template DNA strand and forms hydrogen bonds with it. This gives DNA polymerase the starting point it needs to initiate synthesis. After DNA synthesis near the primer is complete, the RNA segment is removed and replaced by DNA.

An RNA primer is synthesized by primase and is elongated by the DNA polymerase. On the leading strand, only a single RNA primer is needed, and DNA is synthesized continuously, whereas on the lagging strand, DNA is synthesized in short stretches, each of which must start with its own RNA primer.

The model organism E. coli is particularly well-suited to dissect how this fundamental process occurs. In E. coli, the completion of replication occurs at a defined region on the genome, opposite to the bidirectional origin of replication (15).

• Helicase (unwinds the DNA double helix)
• Gyrase (relieves the buildup of torque during unwinding)
• Primase (lays down RNA primers)
• DNA polymerase III (main DNA synthesis enzyme)
• DNA polymerase I (replaces RNA primers with DNA)
• Ligase (fills in the gaps)

DNA replication employs a large number of proteins and enzymes, each of which plays a critical role during the process. One of the key players is the enzyme DNA polymerase, which adds nucleotides one by one to the growing DNA chain that are complementary to the template strand.

Replication is an essential process because, whenever a cell divides, the two new daughter cells must contain the same genetic information, or DNA, as the parent cell. Once the DNA in a cell is replicated, the cell can divide into two cells, each of which has an identical copy of the original DNA.

In order for a cell to divide, it must first make a copy of its own DNA, which is the genetic code it needs to function properly. It is very important that your DNA is replicated accurately, with new cells receiving an exact copy of your genetic sequence.