Pcr Quiz

Several years of basic research on the nucleic acids and viruses resulted to recombinant DNA technology which opened a great deal of opportunities in deciphering genomes of living organism and in the treatment of genetic diseases through regulation of gene expression as well as in the synthesis of clinically useful proteins, and indeed, it has proven to be a powerful technique in medical diagnostics, forensics, and molecular evolution. Also, it has proved to be beneficial to agriculture when culture of genetically-modified crops resistant to pests and punitive conditions emerged.

One of the most ingenious breakthroughs in DNA technology is the discovery of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on 1984 by Kary Mullis. This method geometrically amplifies specific DNA sequences and basically requires a pair of primers, dNTPs, and a heat-stable DNA polymerase. Amplification occurs in several cycles with 3 general steps which include separation of DNA template strands at 95oC, annealing of the primers at 60oC, and DNA synthesis at 72oC which is the optimal temperature for Taq DNA polymerase--the catalyst in the polymerization of new DNA strands for PCR.[1]

In this experiment, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to amplify the DNA previously extracted from the snail egg samples and to delve into the underlying principles of DNA amplification using the PCR method as well to know the significance of the reagents involved in the said method. Other types of PCR and their applications are also discussed in this paper.

Quiz:

1. The bacteria where Taq polymerase is obtained.

2. Taq polymerase catalyzes the polymerization in a ____________ direction.

3. The forward primer

4. The reverse primer

5. Purpose of MgCl2

6-8. Contents of buffer and their functions.

9-11. Properties of primers