Definition of Primase



A primase is an enzyme which is responsible for synthesizing the short sequences of RNA which are known as primers. These primers are synthesized before the process of replication and hence, they are the starting point for it. The primase is a type of RNA polymerase as it typically gives rise to RNA molecules.

 


The short sequence of RNA that is formed by primase is complementary to the template strand which is a single-stranded piece of DNA. The function of primase is very critical in DNA replication as the DNA polymerases can attach the new nucleotides to an already present nucleotide strand.

 

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