The polymerase chain reaction is used to
- A. cut DNA into fragments of known length
- B. make millions of copies of a specific DNA sequence in a few hours
- C. read the amino acid sequence of a protein
- D. insert a gene into a human cell
Explanation
Repeated cycles of heating to separate the strands, cooling so that primers bind, and extension by a heat stable polymerase double the amount of DNA each time, giving exponential amplification. Taq polymerase from a hot spring bacterium is used because it survives the near boiling denaturation step. The technique is what makes forensic work and viral testing possible from tiny samples.
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