Question

After 4 cycles of PCR how many DNA molecules are formed from one DNA molecule?

• A. 4
• B. 16
• C. 32
• D. 8

Answer 1

The correct option is B 16

PCR or polymerase chain reaction is a technique used in molecular biology to create several copies of a certain DNA segment based on enzymatic replication.

PCR has made it possible to generate millions of copies of a small segment of DNA. The number of double-stranded DNA molecules is doubled in each PCR cycle. So,‘n’ number of PCR cycles generates 2ⁿ copies of DNA at the end.

For 4 cycles of PCR, total number of DNA molecules generated $=2^4=2\times 2\times 2\times 2=16$