Question

What is polymerase chain reaction and how does it work?

Answer 1

Polymerase Chain Reaction:

1. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a typical laboratory technique for making multiple copies of a specific area of DNA.
2. A gene of interest can be amplified using a polymerase chain reaction.
3. It was discovered by Kary Mullis.
4. Taq polymerase, primers, template DNA, and nucleotides are the main components of a PCR reaction.

Steps in PCR:

1. Denaturation: When the mixture is heated to a high temperature, the DNA strands are separated or denatured.
2. Annealing: This step allows the primers to bind to their corresponding sequences on single-stranded template DNA by cooling the process.
3. Elongation: Increase the temperature of the reaction such that Taq polymerase stretches the primers and synthesizes additional DNA strands.