Question

Which of these is responsible for catalyzing the formation of an RNA primer?

A) DNA ligase
B) DNA polymerase III
C) RNA polymerase
D) DNA helicase

Answer 1

Primase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the formation of an RNA primer during DNA replication.

Step-by-step explanation:

The enzyme responsible for catalyzing the formation of an RNA primer is primase. Primase synthesizes a short RNA sequence, known as the RNA primer, which is complementary to the DNA template strand. This RNA primer serves as the starting point for DNA replication.

During DNA replication, the RNA primer is later replaced with DNA nucleotides by the enzyme DNA polymerase I. DNA ligase then seals the gaps between the Okazaki fragments, joining them into a continuous DNA strand.

Therefore, the correct answer is D) primase.