Which of the following would happen if the DNA polymerase from your cells was used during PCR?

Question

Question 14 options:

The polymerase would degrade the template DNA, and no copies would be produced.

Exactly what should happen during PCR: human DNA polymerase is the enzyme that is used in a typical PCR.

The polymerase would denature due to the high temperatures of PCR, and no copies would be produced.

The polymerase would work too quickly during PCR and produce too many copies of DNA.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

The polymerase would denature due to the high temperatures of PCR, and no copies would be produced.

Human DNA polymerases, such as DNA polymerase I or II, are not heat-stable and would denature and lose their functionality at the high temperatures used during PCR (typically around 95°C for denaturation). This is why thermostable DNA polymerases like Taq polymerase are used in PCR, as they can withstand the high temperatures without denaturing.