Describe the steps of PCR technique.
Solution 1
One cycle of Polymerase Chain Reaction involves three basic steps:
- Denaturation
- Annealing
- Polymerization
1. Denaturation:
The desired DNA is heated to a high temperature of about 91°C and forms a single-stranded DNA. It results in the separation of the two strands of DNA, each of which would function as a template for the synthesis of a new molecule of DNA.
2. Annealing:
It is the process in which the two primers (oligonucleotides) hybridize to each of the strands of DNA. It requires a temperature of 55°C.
3. Polymerization:
In this step, the Taq polymerase carries out the synthesis of the DNA region between the two primers by using deoxyribonucleotides (dNTPs) and Mg2+. The optimum temperature for this polymerization reaction is 72°C.
Solution 2
The three essential steps of the PCR technique are:
1. Heat denaturation: This step involves the heating of DNA at about 91°C. The heating breaks the hydrogen bonds to make ssDNA. The DNA molecule with more G-C pairs needs a higher temperature.
2. Annealing: It is the pairing of primers to the ssDNA segment. The primers have to be designed as per the requirement. This step requires temperature at about 55°C
3. Polymerisation: The temperature is raised to 72°C. The Taq polymerase adds dNTPs behind the primer on the ssDNA. These three steps constitute one cycle of the reaction (3-5 mins). The process is carried out for about 28-30 cycles beyond which its reliability decreases.
