Which enzyme is essential for synthesizing new DNA strands during PCR?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
Which enzyme is essential for synthesizing new DNA strands during PCR?
DNA ligase
Taq polymerase
Reverse transcriptase
Restriction enzyme
Taq polymerase is a heat-stable enzyme that synthesizes new DNA strands during the PCR process.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: Which enzyme is essential for synthesizing new DNA strands during PCR?
Solution: Taq polymerase is a heat-stable enzyme that synthesizes new DNA strands during the PCR process.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand what PCR is. PCR stands for Polymerase Chain Reaction, a method used to make many copies of a specific DNA segment.
Step 2: Identify the role of enzymes in PCR. Enzymes are proteins that help speed up chemical reactions, including DNA synthesis.
Step 3: Learn about Taq polymerase. Taq polymerase is a specific enzyme that is used in PCR because it can withstand high temperatures.
Step 4: Recognize the function of Taq polymerase. During PCR, Taq polymerase synthesizes new DNA strands by adding nucleotides to the growing DNA chain.
Step 5: Conclude that Taq polymerase is essential for synthesizing new DNA strands during the PCR process.
