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Multiple Choice
Which of the following are the three steps (in order) of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)?
A
Denaturation, Extension, Annealing
B
Denaturation, Annealing, Extension
C
Annealing, Denaturation, Extension
D
Extension, Denaturation, Annealing
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the concept of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): PCR is a technique used to amplify a segment of DNA, producing millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence.
Identify the three main steps involved in PCR: Denaturation, Annealing, and Extension. These steps are repeated in cycles to achieve DNA amplification.
Step 1 - Denaturation: This step involves heating the DNA to around 94-98°C to separate the double-stranded DNA into single strands, allowing the primers to bind to the target sequence.
Step 2 - Annealing: The temperature is lowered to 50-65°C to allow the primers to bind (anneal) to their complementary sequences on the single-stranded DNA template.
Step 3 - Extension: The temperature is raised to around 72°C, which is optimal for the DNA polymerase enzyme to synthesize new DNA strands by adding nucleotides to the annealed primers.