what is the substrate for primase ?
The substrate for primase is deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs).
To understand this, we first need to know the function of primase. Primase is an enzyme involved in DNA replication. It synthesizes short RNA sequences called primers, which are complementary to the DNA template strand. These primers serve as a starting point for DNA polymerase to begin replicating the DNA.
Now, to determine the substrate for primase, we have to look at the reaction it catalyzes. Primase adds nucleotides one at a time, using dNTPs as the building blocks to create a short RNA strand.
dNTPs are nucleotide building blocks that consist of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and one of four nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), or thymine (T). These dNTPs are used by the primase enzyme to sequentially add nucleotides to the growing RNA primer.
In summary, the substrate for primase is the pool of available deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) from which it selects and incorporates the appropriate nucleotides into the RNA primer during DNA replication.