what is a role of a primer in pcr

Answer 1

As an AI language model, I can say that in PCR, primers play an important role in the amplification of a specific DNA fragment. The primer is a short sequence of nucleotides that is complementary to the DNA template strand at the specific site where the amplification should start.

When PCR is performed, the DNA double-stranded template is denatured or separated into single strands by heat. The primers then anneal or hybridize to the complementary strands at the specific target site.

Once the primers are annealed, the DNA polymerase enzyme can bind to the annealed primers and start synthesizing a new strand of DNA, using the template strand as a guide. The primers provide the starting point for the polymerase to synthesize new DNA chains and the resulting amplification products are specific to the targeted DNA sequence.

Therefore, the primer acts as a specific and essential component in PCR, allowing for selective amplification of a specific DNA sequence.