Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), is a template-independent DNA polymerase that catalyzes the incorporation of deoxynucleotides at the 3'-hydroxyl terminus of DNA, accompanied by the release of inorganic phosphate. TdT does not require a template and will not copy one.

Does DNA polymerase require a template?

Section 27.2DNA Polymerases Require a Template and a Primer. ... They cannot start from scratch by adding nucleotides to a free single-stranded DNA template. RNA polymerase, in contrast, can initiate RNA synthesis without a primer (Section 28.1. 4).

Why RNA polymerase does not need a primer?

A primer must be synthesized by an enzyme called primase, which is a type of RNA polymerase, before DNA replication can occur. The synthesis of a primer is necessary because the enzymes that synthesize DNA, which are called DNA polymerases, can only attach new DNA nucleotides to an existing strand of nucleotides.