Okazaki Fragments Do Which of the Following

Question

Okazaki fragments do which of the following?
A) Assist in forming the replication fork
B) Bind to the oriC region
C) Assist in the synthesis of DNA from the lagging strand
D) Reform the double-helix following replication
E) None of the answers are correct

Accepted Answer

Okazaki fragments are short, newly synthesized DNA segments that are created during DNA replication on the lagging strand. They are necessary because DNA can only be synthesized in a 5' to 3' direction, but the lagging strand runs in the opposite direction of the replication fork. Therefore, Okazaki fragments are synthesized in the opposite direction of the replication fork and then eventually joined together by DNA ligase to form a continuous strand.