Final answer:
The synthesis of RNA primers in DNA replication is wasteful but necessary for providing a starting point for DNA polymerase. The accuracy of primer synthesis is less critical, given the proofreading and repair capabilities of DNA polymerase, which ensures the fidelity of the resulting DNA strand.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks whether the process of synthesizing RNA primers for DNA replication is wasteful and requires a high level of accuracy. The answer is C) Yes, it is wasteful, and accuracy is not important in this context. The sole purpose of the RNA primers is to provide a 3'-OH group for DNA polymerase to begin adding nucleotides. These primers are later removed and replaced with deoxyribonucleotides (dNTPs) by DNA polymerase I. While it might seem energetically inefficient, the accuracy of RNA primer synthesis is not as critical as the proofreading and repair capability of DNA polymerase during DNA synthesis. DNA polymerase has inherent proofreading ability to ensure fidelity in the newly synthesized DNA.
The RNA primers are required because DNA polymerases cannot start DNA synthesis without a free 3' hydroxyl group. While RNA polymerase can initiate synthesis from scratch, DNA polymerase cannot. Once the primers are in place, DNA polymerase extends them with dNTPs. Mistakes during primer synthesis are tolerated because they will be replaced by DNA sequences through the action of DNA polymerase I, which also has exonuclease activity that helps in DNA repair by replacing the RNA nucleotides with the correct DNA nucleotides.