BRAINCAKEHow PCR Works
Each cycle of PCR has three stages, controlled by the thermal cycler.
1. Denaturation (about 95°C): the mixture is heated so the hydrogen bonds between complementary bases break. The double-stranded DNA separates into two single strands.
2. Annealing (about 55°C): the mixture is cooled so the primers can bind by complementary base pairing to the ends of the target sequence on each single strand. The primers give Taq polymerase a starting point.
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Key terms in this lesson
- complementary base pairing
- The pairing of DNA or RNA bases according to fixed rules (A with T or U, C with G) by hydrogen bonding.
More in Gene Sequencing
- The Genome
- The Polymerase Chain Reaction
- DNA Sequencing
- Using DNA Sequencing
- Using DNA Sequencing to Manage Disease
- Introns and Satellite DNA
- DNA Profiles
- Gel Electrophoresis
All 12 lessons in Gene Sequencing · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics