In the dna isolation and amplification lab, what would happen if human dna polymerase was used instead of taq polymerase for the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) ?

Question

Mary Fischer

Biology

9 October, 21:19

In the dna isolation and amplification lab, what would happen if human dna polymerase was used instead of taq polymerase for the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) ?

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Ainsley Alvarado · Answer 1

The reason why taq polymerase is used is because it is thermostable, meaning that it can remain intact and reactive after being exposed to the cycles of high temperatures that are used in PCR (an upwards of 94 degrees Celsius). If human DNA polymerase were used instead, it would immediately unfold and become inactive after the first round of high temperatures, effectively ceasing the PCR.