DNA Replication and Amplification: Building Blocks, Starting Points, and Temperature Control
What are the functions of dNTPs, primers, and the thermocycler in DNA replication and amplification?
a) dntps: Replication, primers: Transcription, thermocycler: Translation
b) dntps: Translation, primers: Replication, thermocycler: Transcription
c) dntps: Transcription, primers: Translation, thermocycler: Replication
d) dntps: Replication, primers: Translation, thermocycler: Transcription
Answer:
dNTPs provide building blocks for replication, primers serve as starting points for DNA replication or amplification, and the thermocycler controls temperature cycles for PCR.
dNTPs: The function of dNTPs (deoxynucleotide triphosphates) is to provide the building blocks for DNA synthesis during replication. They are incorporated by DNA polymerase into the growing DNA strand.
Primers: Primers are short DNA sequences that are complementary to the target DNA sequence. They serve as starting points for DNA replication or amplification reactions, such as PCR.
Thermocycler: The thermocycler is a laboratory instrument used in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to amplify specific DNA sequences. It controls the temperature cycles required for DNA denaturation, primer annealing, and DNA synthesis.
In DNA replication, deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) are required to build the new DNA strand. Primers are short RNA sequences used to initiate DNA synthesis during replication, making them associated with replication. A thermocycler is a device used in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is primarily involved in transcription, as it amplifies specific DNA sequences. Therefore, the correct association aligns dNTPs with replication, primers with translation, and the thermocycler with transcription.