Final answer:
The enzyme responsible for relieving helical tension during DNA replication is topoisomerase. It makes cuts in the DNA strand to relax supercoiling, then reconnects the strands. DNA helicase and SSBs are also key players in this process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The enzyme that is important for relieving the tension in a helix as it unwinds during DNA synthesis is called topoisomerase. During the process of DNA replication, the unwinding of the DNA helix by helicase induces supercoiling, which could lead to breakage of the DNA if not relieved. Topoisomerase acts by making controlled cuts in the DNA strand, allowing the helix to spin and relax, which in turn relieves the supercoiling tension. After relieving the tension, topoisomerase reconnects the broken DNA strands, allowing DNA synthesis to proceed smoothly without risking damage to the DNA molecule.
Another important protein in this process is DNA helicase, which actively separates the two DNA strands by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the nucleotide base pairs. This action creates replication forks that provide the necessary single-stranded DNA templates for new strand synthesis. Single-stranded binding proteins (SSBs) also play a crucial role by binding to the separated strands to prevent them from re-annealing during replication.