Final answer:
In PCR, the two primers required to amplify a sequence of DNA are known as the top primer and the bottom primer, which must be complementary to the 3' ends of the target DNA sequence. The top primer anneals to the bottom DNA strand and vice versa, allowing DNA polymerase to extend these primers and replicate the target sequence.
Step-by-step explanation:
What are the names of the two primers required to amplify a sequence of DNA using PCR? The process of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) utilizes two primers, known as the top primer and the bottom primer. These primers are short strands of DNA that are complementary to the 3' ends of each strand of the target DNA sequence that is intended for amplification. The top primer hybridizes to the bottom DNA strand while the bottom primer hybridizes to the top DNA strand in a manner that their respective 3' ends face each other. This allows the DNA polymerase enzyme to extend these primers and replicate the target sequence. Primers are designed to be complementary to specific regions at both ends of the sequence to be amplified; they must also be designed to include any desired mutations, such as replacing a 'G' with a 'C' in a specific location, if mutagenesis is a goal of the experiment. The Taq polymerase, which is derived from the thermophilic bacterium Thermus aquaticus, is employed in PCR due to its ability to withstand the high temperatures required for the denaturation step of the PCR cycle.