NEETZoologyBiotechnology - Principles and Processes
A student sets up a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to amplify a gene of interest. However, instead of using Taq polymerase, the student mistakenly adds a standard DNA polymerase isolated from a mesophilic bacterium like E. coli . What will be the most immediate consequence on the amplification process?
Options
- AThe enzyme will synthesize DNA normally but at a much slower rate.
- BThe primers will fail to anneal to the template DNA strands.
- CThe enzyme will get denatured and destroyed during the initial high-temperature step.
- DThe enzyme will synthesize RNA instead of DNA.
Correct answer
C. The enzyme will get denatured and destroyed during the initial high-temperature step.
Step-by-step solution
The first step of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is denaturation, which requires heating the reaction mixture to a high temperature (around 94^ C ). Taq polymerase is specifically used in PCR because it is a thermostable DNA polymerase isolated from the thermophilic bacterium Thermus aquaticus , allowing it to remain active at high temperatures. If a standard DNA polymerase from a mesophilic organism like E. coli is used, the high temperature during the initial denaturation step will cause the enzyme to denatu