Question

Which of the following statements are correct for the enzyme Taq polymerase ?
(i) It remains active during the hight temperature induced denaturation of dsDNA.
(ii) It required primers for carrying out the process of polymerisation.
It synthesises the RNA region between the primers, using dNTPs and Mg2+.

Answer 1

The final step of PCR is the extension, wherein Taq DNA polymerase (isolated from a thermophilic bacterium Thermus aquaticus) synthesizes the DNA region between the primers, using dNTPs (deoxynucleoside triphosphates) and Mg

2+

. The primers are extended towards each other so that the DNA segment lying between the two primers is copied. The optimum temperature for this polymerisation step is 72

o

C. Taq polymerase remains active during high temperature-induced denaturation of double-stranded DNA.