How do single-strand-binding proteins assist in DNA replication?

Single-strand-binding proteins play a crucial role during DNA replication by stabilizing the newly unwound DNA strands. When the double helix of DNA is unwound by helicase, it creates two separate strands that are at risk of re-annealing or forming secondary structures. These binding proteins attach to the single-stranded DNA and prevent it from folding back on itself or from combining with complementary strands, thereby ensuring that replication can proceed efficiently. By maintaining the integrity of the single strands, these proteins allow the replicative enzymes, such as DNA polymerase, to access and synthesize new complementary strands accurately. This stabilization is essential for the overall fidelity of DNA replication and helps prevent errors during the process.

The other choices include functions that are carried out by different components of the replication machinery; RNA primers are synthesized by primase, the initiation of replication involves several proteins including helicase and primase, and the joining of Okazaki fragments is performed by DNA ligase. Each of these processes is important, but they do not describe the role of single-strand-binding proteins.