Which laboratory technique is used to amplify DNA sequences and can produce millions to billions of copies from a tiny sample?

Which laboratory technique is used to amplify DNA sequences and can produce millions to billions of copies from a tiny sample?

• A. ABO blood type system
• B. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
• C. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
• D. Genome

Answer: (C)

PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, is the lab technique used to amplify DNA sequences, generating millions to billions of copies from a tiny sample. It works by cycling through heating and cooling: strands separate, primers bind to the target region, and a heat-stable DNA polymerase extends new strands, doubling the amount of target DNA with each cycle. After many cycles, a single starting molecule can become a huge amount of DNA that’s easy to study. The ABO blood type system is about blood group antigens, not a method to copy DNA. Mitochondrial DNA refers to the type of DNA being studied, and genome means the entire set of genetic material, neither of which are amplification techniques on their own.

PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, is the lab technique used to amplify DNA sequences, generating millions to billions of copies from a tiny sample. It works by cycling through heating and cooling: strands separate, primers bind to the target region, and a heat-stable DNA polymerase extends new strands, doubling the amount of target DNA with each cycle. After many cycles, a single starting molecule can become a huge amount of DNA that’s easy to study. The ABO blood type system is about blood group antigens, not a method to copy DNA. Mitochondrial DNA refers to the type of DNA being studied, and genome means the entire set of genetic material, neither of which are amplification techniques on their own.