What does Taq DNA polymerase do?
Taq polymerase is the heat-stable (thermostable) DNA polymerase extracted from the thermophilic bacteria Thermus aquaticus. Its predominant function is in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, where it automates the repetitive step of amplifying specific DNA sequences.
Why is Taq polymerase thermostable?
It can withstand high temperatures used in PCR, retaining its enzymatic activity. Taq polymerase is naturally found in a thermophilic bacterium known as Thermus aquaticus. The bacterium lives in extremely hot environments such as hydrothermal vents and hot springs. Therefore, it is highly thermostable.
How much does Taq polymerase cost?
With those caveats in mind, the average price for standard Taq polymerases without volume discounts can range around $0.57 per reaction or $0.32 per unit.
What is the role of Taq polymerase why is it named so?
aquaticus is a bacterium that lives in hot springs and hydrothermal vents, and Taq polymerase was identified as an enzyme able to withstand the protein-denaturing conditions (high temperature) required during PCR. Therefore, it replaced the DNA polymerase from E. coli originally used in PCR.
What is thermostable DNA polymerase?
A thermostable DNA polymerase is used in repeated cycles of primer annealing, DNA synthesis and dissociation of duplex DNA to serve as new templates. The theoretical amplification of template DNA, assuming reagents are not limiting and the enzyme maintains full activity, is 2n where n is the number of cycles.
What is the purpose of using a thermostable DNA polymerase for PCR?
PCR relies on a thermostable DNA polymerase, Taq polymerase, and requires DNA primers designed specifically for the DNA region of interest. In PCR, the reaction is repeatedly cycled through a series of temperature changes, which allow many copies of the target region to be produced.
Why is Taq polymerase used in PCR instead of some other DNA polymerase?
Its DNA polymerase is very heat-stable and is most active around 70 ° C 70 °\text C 70°C70, °, start text, C, end text (a temperature at which a human or E. coli DNA polymerase would be nonfunctional). This heat-stability makes Taq polymerase ideal for PCR.
Is Taq polymerase expensive?
Though Taq DNA polymerase has been cloned since 25 years ago [3] and is not expensive now, the expense on the enzyme is also astonishing to some labs that need to do large amount of PCRs to analyze the polymorphism of molecular markers for construction of a genetic map, positional cloning, and evolutionary analysis etc …
What is Taq Buffer?
Taq DNA Polymerase PCR Buffer is a 10X buffer [200 mM Tris HCl (pH 8.4), 500 mM KCl] supplied with 1 ml of 50 mM MgCl2. It is included with Platinum™ Taq, Taq, and the SuperScript™ First-Strand Synthesis System for RT-PCR. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
Why is thermostable polymerase needed for PCR?
In the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a thermostable DNA polymerase and two specific oligonucleotide primers are used to produce multiple copies of specific nucleic acid regions quickly and exponentially (Fig. 6.4).
Why thermostable DNA is used in PCR?
The thermostable DNA polymerase is perhaps the most important target site of PCR-inhibiting substances. The most widely used polymerase in PCR-based methods for the detection of microorganisms is Taq DNA polymerase from Thermus aquaticus.
What happens to Taq polymerase at the end of PCR?
When Taq polymerase amplifies a piece of DNA during PCR, the terminal transferase activity of Taq adds an extra adenine at the 3′ end of the PCR product. The TA cloning vector was designed so that when linearized it has single 5′ thymidine overhangs at each end.
What is Taq DNA polymerase?
Taq DNA Polymerase is a thermostable enzyme that synthesizes DNA from single-stranded templates in the presence of dNTPs and a primer. The enzyme consists of a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of 94 kDa. It has a 5´→3´ DNA polymerase activity and a 5´→3´ exonuclease activity (see figure). With Taq DNA Polymerase, you get:
Why switch to Thermo Scientific dreamtaq DNA polymerase?
Switch to Thermo Scientific DreamTaq DNA Polymerases for better results and added convenience. Taq DNA Polymerase is a thermostable enzyme that synthesizes DNA from single-stranded templates in the presence of dNTPs and a primer. The enzyme consists of a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of 94 kDa.
Which Invitrogen DNA polymerase is best suited for PCR applications?
Therefore, the native Taq DNA polymerase is often preferred for amplification of bacterial DNA sequences homologous to E. coli sequences. Are other Invitrogen DNA polymerases better suited for your PCR applications?
What is the molecular weight of DNA polymerase?
The enzyme consists of a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of 94 kDa. It has a 5´→3´ DNA polymerase activity and a 5´→3´ exonuclease activity (see figure).