A replisome is the coordinated molecular machinery operating at a replication fork. It couples DNA unwinding with primer production and DNA synthesis. A DNA polymerase extends a paired strand end, while a helicase separates the template strands and other components stabilize or organize the reaction. [ref]
Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others. Chapter 5, DNA Replication Mechanisms: replication-fork proteins and coordinated synthesis
The templates are antiparallel, but DNA polymerization proceeds in one chemical direction. Leading-strand synthesis can follow fork movement continuously, while lagging-strand synthesis uses successive Okazaki fragments that are processed and joined. The resulting asymmetry is a constraint on coordination, not a requirement for two chemically opposite polymerization reactions. Replisome composition and organization differ among bacteria, eukaryotes and experimental systems.
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