Difference in between Leading and lagging strands

Leading and lagging strands

Tell me students as the name suggests, is lagging strand formed behind the leading strand? No, this is not the case. The leading strand is the strand of nascent DNA which is synthesized in the same direction as the growing replication fork. The synthesis of leading strand is continuous. The lagging strand, on the other hand, is the strand of new DNA whose direction is opposite to the direction of the growing replication fork. Replication of the lagging strand is more complicated than that of the leading strand. It is synthesized in short, separated segments known as Okazaki fragments, which are then joined together by DNA ligase to form a continuous DNA strand. Watch this GIF and clear your confusion!