Answer to Question #109199 in Molecular Biology for kylie

Question

Define the following:
Okazaki fragments

Answer 1

Okazaki fragments are short DNA fragments that are synthesized on the lagging strand of DNA during DNA replication. DNA is synthesized from 5' end to 3' end while the template strand is read in 3'-5' direction, the lagging strand cannot be synthesized in the same direction as the leading strand. In this case, two strands must be synthesized in opposite directions. As the synthesis of the lagging strand cannot be produced in a continuous fashion, DNA replication machinery must creat short DNA fragments (Okazaki fragments) with breaks that are further connected into a continuous strand by DNA ligase.