DNA polymerase

Definition

DNA polymerase is an enzyme that synthesizes DNA molecules from deoxyribonucleotides, the building blocks of DNA. During DNA replication, this enzyme reads the existing DNA strands to create two new strands that match the original ones.

Related terms

Deoxyribonucleotide: The basic building block of DNA, consisting of a phosphate group, a sugar (deoxyribose), and a nitrogenous base.

Replication Fork: The Y-shaped region that forms when the double helix of DNA is being separated into two strands for replication.

Helicase: An enzyme that unwinds and separates the double-stranded DNA into single strands so that each can be copied during DNA replication