Question

What is the function of RNA primer during protein synthesis.

Answer 1

Hint: RNA primers are very important nucleic acids that are used in DNA replication and the activity of DNA polymerase depends on RNA primers.

Complete answer:
Primer is a type of nucleic acid and it consists of only one strand (single-stranded) and it is required to initiate the process of DNA synthesis.
The enzyme DNA polymerase cannot start the formation of the nucleotide chain, it can just add up nucleotides to an already existing nucleotide chain where a primer is already attached to the template strand.

During protein synthesis the RNA primers are attached to both leading and lagging strand to start the formation of the nucleotide chain. In the leading strand, only 1 RNA primer is enough to synthesize the complementary strand because DNA polymerase easily adds up nucleotide in 5' to 3' direction but in the lagging strand, many RNA primers are required because DNA polymerase cannot add up nucleotides in 3' to 5' direction due to which the DNA synthesis occurs in a reversed direction where the synthesis of strands occurs in form of small DNA fragments known as Okazaki fragments and each of these fragments requires separate RNA primers.

Lastly, all the RNA primers are removed and the Okazaki fragments are joined by enzyme DNA ligase which completes the synthesis of the lagging strand.

Note: Chemically manufactured synthetic primers also known as synthetic oligonucleotides are used to customize and modify the RNA primers according to the needs as these synthetic RNA primers can form hydrogen bonds at a specific site of the template strand. The RNA primers that have the same sequence but are not identical to each other are known as degenerate primers.