Primase, DNA Polypeptide 1 (PRIM1)

The replication of DNA in eukaryotic cells is carried out by a complex chromosomal replication apparatus, in which DNA polymerase alpha and primase are two key enzymatic components. Primase, which is a heterodimer of a small subunit and a large subunit, synthesizes small RNA primers for the Okazaki fragments made during discontinuous DNA replication. The protein encoded by this gene is the small, 49 kDa primase subunit. The DNA polymerase-alpha/primase complex contains 4 subunits: the polymerase-alpha p180 (POLA) and p68 (POLA2) subunits, and the primase p58 (PRIM2A) and p49 (PRIM1) subunits. Primase synthesizes oligoribonucleotides that serve as primers for the initiation of DNA synthesis. It plays a role in both the initiation of DNA replication and the synthesis of Okazaki fragments for lagging strand synthesis