Which enzyme creates primers to initiate DNA replication?

Primase is the enzyme responsible for synthesizing RNA primers during DNA replication. This process is crucial because DNA polymerases, the enzymes that actually synthesize new DNA strands, cannot begin replication on their own; they require a short strand of nucleotides to act as a starting point. Primase synthesizes these short RNA primers complementary to the DNA template strand, providing the necessary 3' hydroxyl group that DNA polymerases need to begin adding DNA nucleotides.

In the context of the other enzymes mentioned: Ligase is involved in sealing nicks and joining Okazaki fragments on the lagging strand; Helicase unwinds the double-stranded DNA, creating the replication fork; and Topoisomerase alleviates the tension and prevents supercoiling ahead of the replication fork by cutting and rejoining the DNA strands. While all these enzymes play essential roles in the process of DNA replication, primase is specifically tasked with the important job of laying down the initial RNA primers.