Question

During PCR, the process of _____ results when the Taq polymerase catalyzes the synthesis of complementary DNA, starting at the primers.

a) Amplification
b) Elongation
c) Denaturation
d) Replication

Answer 1

During PCR, the Taq polymerase catalyzes the elongation process, synthesizing complementary DNA from the primers.

Step-by-step explanation:

During PCR, the process of elongation results when the Taq polymerase catalyzes the synthesis of complementary DNA, starting at the primers. With the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), scientists can quickly produce millions or billions of copies of a particular DNA sample, enabling them to amplify a very tiny sample of DNA to a size large enough for in-depth research. The three primary processes of PCR are extension, annealing, and denaturation. During the extension step, Taq polymerase adds nucleotides to the ends of the primers, creating new DNA strands. Taq polymerase, which originates from the thermophilic bacterium Thermus aquaticus, is particularly useful for this process because it is stable at the high temperatures needed for denaturation.