Leading strand

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Leading Strand

The Leading Strand (pronunciation: /ˈliːdɪŋ strænd/) is one of the two newly synthesized DNA strands during DNA replication.

Etymology

The term "Leading Strand" is derived from the English words "leading", meaning foremost, and "strand", referring to a long, thin structure. It is named so because it is the DNA strand that is synthesized continuously during replication.

Definition

The Leading Strand is synthesized continuously in the 5' to 3' direction by DNA polymerase. This synthesis occurs in the same direction as the movement of the replication fork, allowing the DNA polymerase to continuously add nucleotides to the 3' end of the new strand.

Related Terms

  • DNA replication: The process by which a double-stranded DNA molecule is copied to produce two identical DNA molecules.
  • DNA polymerase: An enzyme that synthesizes DNA molecules from deoxyribonucleotides, the building blocks of DNA.
  • Replication fork: The point at which the DNA helix is opened up, like a zipper, during DNA replication.
  • Lagging strand: The DNA strand that is synthesized discontinuously in short fragments known as Okazaki fragments, which are later joined together to create the continuous strand.

See Also

External links

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