In: Biology
The four reagents required for synthesising DNA are substrate, template, primer and enzymes.
Substrates are the four dNTPs (deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates) - dATP (Deoxyadenosine triphosphate), dGTP (Deoxyguanosine triphosphate ), dTTP (Deoxythymidine triphosphate) and dCTP (Deoxycytidine triphosphate). Deoxynucleotide monophosphate takes in the new strand of DNA after the phosphate bond between alpha and beta phosphates is broken.
Ribonucleoside triphosphates used for synthesising RNA primers is also essential.
Template is the strand of DNA which is copied into a complementary strand. It forms the basis for suitable base pairing for the growing DNA strand.
Primer is the strand of DNA or RNA that is in base pairing with the template. To this primer DNA polymerase adds nucleotides.
Enzymes
DNA polymerase covalently joins the incoming nucleotide to the primer. Replisome is a large complex of enzymes and proteins which spool the DNA and replication occurs as it passes through it.