Answer to Question #214496 in Molecular Biology for Moe

Question

2.2) Explain how the DNA lagging strand is synthesised especially when DNA polymerase adds nucleotides only to the 3´ end. Include a fully labelled diagram in your answer to show how this strand is synthesised

Answer 1

On the lagging strand, DNA synthesis restarts many times as the helix unwinds, resulting in many short fragments called “Okazaki fragments.” DNA ligase joins the Okazaki fragments together into a single DNA molecule.DNA polymerase III extends the primers, adding on to the 3' end, to make the bulk of the new DNA.