What happens on gene level, that makes DNA shorter with each replication?

Question

I know that it has to do something with primers and the whole anabolic process of replication, but how? What happens that makes DNA shorter with each replication? Is RNA-primers getting cut off with DNA? Explain like i am five

In: 20

Answer 1

Imagine your DNA is a ladder, and it’s suspended in space. Imagine a man starting at the top of the ladder, climbing his way down. The man can replicate rungs on the ladder with his hands, but he can’t replicate the rung he is standing on because he will fall off. As he climbs down, he keeps replicating each rung he passes, but eventually he reaches the bottom of the ladder and is standing on the bottom rung. He can’t replicate that rung since he is actively standing on it, and if he were to step off the rung he would fall off and still not be able to replicate that last rung, so he calls it quits there and wraps up his job, replicating the entire ladder except the very last rung.