Why are the leading and lagging strands of DNA molecules synthesized differently?

  1. The first step in DNA replication is to ‘unzip’ the double helix structure of the DNA molecule.
  2. This is carried out by an enzyme called helicase which breaks the hydrogen bonds holding the complementary bases of DNA together (A with T, C with G).
  3. The separation of the two single strands of DNA creates a ‘Y’ shape called a replication ‘fork’. The two separated strands will act as templates for making the new strands of DNA.
  4. One of the strands is oriented in the 3’ to 5’ direction (towards the replication fork), this is the leading strand. The other strand is oriented in the 5’ to 3’ direction (away from the replication fork), this is the lagging strand. As a result of their different orientations, the two strands are replicated differently:

Why are the leading and lagging strands of DNA molecules synthesized differently?

An illustration to show replication of the leading and lagging strands of DNA.
Image credit: Genome Research Limited

Leading Strand:

  1. A short piece of RNA called a primer (produced by an enzyme called primase) comes along and binds to the end of the leading strand. The primer acts as the starting point for DNA synthesis.
  2. DNA polymerase binds to the leading strand and then ‘walks’ along it, adding new complementary nucleotide bases (A, C, G and T) to the strand of DNA in the 5’ to 3’ direction.
  3. This sort of replication is called continuous.

Lagging strand:

  1. Numerous RNA primers are made by the primase enzyme and bind at various points along the lagging strand.
  2. Chunks of DNA, called Okazaki fragments, are then added to the lagging strand also in the 5’ to 3’ direction.
  3. This type of replication is called discontinuous as the Okazaki fragments will need to be joined up later.
  1. Once all of the bases are matched up (A with T, C with G), an enzyme called exonuclease strips away the primer(s). The gaps where the primer(s) were are then filled by yet more complementary nucleotides.
  2. The new strand is proofread to make sure there are no mistakes in the new DNA sequence.
  3. Finally, an enzyme called DNA ligase seals up the sequence of DNA into two continuous double strands.
  4. The result of DNA replication is two DNA molecules consisting of one new and one old chain of nucleotides. This is why DNA replication is described as semi-conservative, half of the chain is part of the original DNA molecule, half is brand new.
  5. Following replication the new DNA automatically winds up into a double helix.

This page was last updated on 2021-07-21

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Why are the leading and lagging strands of DNA molecules synthesized differently?

Highlights

Simultaneous imaging of leading- and lagging-strand synthesis by single replisomes

Most loop formation events on the lagging strand occur during primer synthesis

Polymerases are released from the replisome to complete Okazaki-fragment synthesis

Multiple pathways and exchange events underlie replisome coordination

Summary

The molecular machinery responsible for DNA replication, the replisome, must efficiently coordinate DNA unwinding with priming and synthesis to complete duplication of both strands. Due to the anti-parallel nature of DNA, the leading strand is copied continuously, while the lagging strand is produced by repeated cycles of priming, DNA looping, and Okazaki-fragment synthesis. Here, we report a multidimensional single-molecule approach to visualize this coordination in the bacteriophage T7 replisome by simultaneously monitoring the kinetics of loop growth and leading-strand synthesis. We show that loops in the lagging strand predominantly occur during priming and only infrequently support subsequent Okazaki-fragment synthesis. Fluorescence imaging reveals polymerases remaining bound to the lagging strand behind the replication fork, consistent with Okazaki-fragment synthesis behind and independent of the replication complex. Individual replisomes display both looping and pausing during priming, reconciling divergent models for the regulation of primer synthesis and revealing an underlying plasticity in replisome operation.

Keywords

DNA replication

bacteriophage T7

flow stretching

single molecule

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© 2016 Elsevier Inc.

Why are the leading and lagging strands of DNA synthesized differently during DNA replication quizlet?

It catalyzes the addition of nucleotides to the 3' end of a growing DNA strand. Why are Leading and Lagging strands created during DNA Replication? They are created because new DNA can be synthesized only in a 5'->3' direction. The template of the DNA is therefore always 3'-5'.

How are leading and lagging strands synthesized differently quizlet?

the leading strand is synthesized in the same direction as the movement of the replication fork, and the lagging strand is synthesized in the opposite direction.

What is the basis for the difference in the synthesis of the leading and lagging strand of DNA molecules?

DNA polymerase only synthesizes DNA in the 5' to 3' direction only. The difference between the leading and lagging strands is that the leading strand is formed towards replication fork, while the lagging strand is formed away from replication fork.

Why synthesis on the lagging strand is slower than the synthesis on the leading strand?

This delay occurs because DNA polymerization on the lagging strand is forced to occur in the direction going away from the replication fork.