During the extension step of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a thermostable DNA polymerase synthesizes the new DNA strand. Which of the following is actively utilized as the substrate by the enzyme during this process?

Step-by-step solution

The extension step of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) involves the synthesis of a new DNA strand by a thermostable DNA polymerase (such as Taq polymerase). To extend the primers, the enzyme requires deoxynucleoside triphosphates (deoxynucleotides) as substrates, which are added one by one complementary to the template genomic DNA. Ribonucleoside triphosphates are used in RNA synthesis (transcription), not PCR. DNA ligase and restriction endonucleases are enzymes used in other steps of recombinant DNA technology