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.
Articles by others on the same topic
There are currently no matching articles.