why is synthesis discontinuous on the lagging strand

Answer 1

Synthesis is discontinuous on the lagging strand because DNA synthesis occurs in a 5' to 3' direction, while the lagging strand is oriented in a 3' to 5' direction. This means that DNA polymerase has to move in the opposite direction to replication fork movement, causing short, discontinuous fragments called Okazaki fragments to be formed. These fragments are later joined together by the enzyme DNA ligase to form a continuous strand. This process of discontinuous replication occurs on the lagging strand and not the leading strand because of differences in their orientation and processing requirements.