Question

Which step in the PCR process will be affected?

Answer 1

The denaturation step in the polymerase chain reaction will be affected. As a result the DNA strands will not unwind and the DNA will not become single stranded.

Explanation:

Polymerase chain reaction is used to synthesize multiple copies of DNA. The technique in molecular biology uses thermal cycling which involves steps of heating and cooling. There are three important steps in PCR.

Nucleic acid denaturation is the first step. In this step the DNA is heated to about 90°c and this causes the denaturation of the DNA. Two strands of DNA get separated. The second step is annealing in which the strands are cooled to 55°c.

During annealing the primers stick to the complementary sites on the DNA to facilitate its replication. The third step is extension in which the temperature of the mixture is raised to 72°c. The tag polymerase will start working on the DNA strands and replicate them.

If the denaturation step is not performed the speration of double stranded DNA into single strands won’t take place.