## The leading strand of DNA is synthesized continuously

The first step in the replication of the leading strand is the creation of a replication fork. Subsequently, an RNA-primer is attached to the strand, which provides a free 3'-end in the direction of DNA replication. This allows the DNA polymerase to recognize the site to be replicated. The whole process thus gradually passes from the initiation stage onto the phase called elongation. During elongation, a new strand of DNA is synthesized based on the template. The entire process is ensured by the enzyme DNA polymerase, which faithfully replicates the original mother strand according to the principle of base pairing. The last step is termination of replication. In this phase, the new DNA strand is complete and the DNA polymerase leaves the molecule (Figure 3.4). Since the synthesis of the strand is continuous and occurs relatively quickly, it is referred to as leading strand synthesis.