Which enzyme seals the gaps between Okazaki fragments in DNA replication?

During DNA replication, the leading strand is synthesized continuously, while the lagging strand is produced in small segments known as Okazaki fragments. The enzyme responsible for sealing the gaps between these Okazaki fragments is DNA ligase. This enzyme catalyzes the formation of phosphodiester bonds between the sugar-phosphate backbones of adjacent fragments, resulting in a continuous DNA strand.

DNA polymerase I has a role in removing RNA primers from the Okazaki fragments and replacing them with DNA, but it does not seal the gaps. Topoisomerase helps relieve the tension generated ahead of the replication fork by introducing temporary breaks in the DNA strands, thereby preventing supercoiling, but it does not interact with the Okazaki fragments. Primase synthesizes a short RNA primer to initiate the synthesis of a new DNA strand, but it does not seal any fragments either. Thus, DNA ligase is the correct enzyme that specifically fills in the spaces between Okazaki fragments, completing the lagging strand during DNA replication.