Answer:
Synthesis of leading strand:
<em>daughter strand elongate towards replication fork</em>
<em>only one primer is needed</em>
<em>made continuously</em>
Synthesis of the lagging strand:
<em>multiple primers needed</em>
<em>daughter strand elongates away from replication fork</em>
<em>made in segments</em>
Synthesis of both:
<em>synthesized in 5' to 3'</em>
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Explanation:
The replication of DNA involves the unwinding of the double helix structure by the helicase enzyme after which RNA primer binds to form a bubble known as the <em>replication fork</em>.
DNA can only be replicated in the 5' to 3' direction because the <em>polymerase that is responsible for the elongation of new strands can only add nucleotides in the 5' to 3' direction. </em>
Hence, the leading strand is replicated continuously in this direction while the lagging strand is replicated discontinuously or fragments known as the okazaki fragments. <em>The discontinuous replication of the lagging strand therefore requires different primers biding at multiple sites on the DNA strand.</em>
Because of the nature of replication of the lagging strand, the <em>elongation of the fragments moves away from the replication fork while that of the leading strand moves towards the replication fork.</em>
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