NEET2026BiologyChapterActual
In the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique, which of the following events specifically occurs during the annealing step?
Options
- ABreaking of hydrogen bonds to separate the double-stranded DNA template
- BHybridization of two sets of primers to the complementary regions of the DNA
- CPolymerization of deoxynucleotides by a thermostable DNA polymerase
- DJoining of amplified DNA fragments using the enzyme DNA ligase
Correct answer
B. Hybridization of two sets of primers to the complementary regions of the DNA
Step-by-step solution
The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) involves three main steps: 1. Denaturation: The double-stranded DNA is heated to a high temperature to break the hydrogen bonds, resulting in single-stranded DNA. 2. Annealing: The temperature is lowered to allow two sets of primers to hybridize (bind) to their complementary sequences on the single-stranded DNA templates. 3. Extension: A thermostable DNA polymerase (such as Taq polymerase) synthesizes the new DNA strand by adding deoxynucleotides to the primers. Therefore, the hy