How Does Taq Polymerase Lengthen DNA Strands in PCR Process?

Taq Polymerase in PCR Process

Taq polymerase is an essential enzyme in the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) process, where it plays a crucial role in replicating DNA. One of the key steps in the PCR process is the extension step, where the DNA strands are elongated to create new copies of the target DNA.

Role of Taq Polymerase

Taq polymerase functions by utilizing the primers as a starting point and adding nucleotides to the 3' end of the primers. This process allows Taq polymerase to synthesize complementary DNA strands that are an exact copy of the target DNA.

Process of Lengthening DNA Strands

During the extension step of PCR, the "lengthens" arrow could be added between the "primers" and "DNA strands" because Taq polymerase extends the primers by adding nucleotides to synthesize new DNA strands. This addition of nucleotides to the 3' end of the primers is what "lengthens" the DNA strands.

Significance of Taq Polymerase

The ability of Taq polymerase to lengthen DNA strands is vital for the PCR process as it allows for the amplification of specific DNA sequences. By accurately replicating the DNA, Taq polymerase enables researchers to obtain a large quantity of target DNA for further analysis and experimentation.