What role does dNTP serve in the PCR process?

In the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) process, dNTPs, or deoxynucleotide triphosphates, play a crucial role as the building blocks for DNA synthesis. During PCR, the DNA polymerase enzyme requires these free-floating nucleotides—adenine (dATP), thymidine (dTTP), cytosine (dCTP), and guanine (dGTP)—to synthesize new strands of DNA complementary to the target DNA strand.

As the reaction progresses through its cycles of denaturation, annealing, and extension, the DNA polymerase enzyme adds these dNTPs to the growing DNA strand, effectively replicating the target sequence. The availability of dNTPs in sufficient quantities is essential for the reaction to proceed successfully and to produce a sufficient amount of the desired DNA product.

In contrast, templates for DNA synthesis are the original DNA strands that the polymerase replicates, while enzymes that repair DNA do not play a role in the amplification process of PCR. Denaturation typically involves breaking the hydrogen bonds between the two strands of the DNA double helix, which doesn’t require dNTPs. Thus, the identification of dNTPs as free floating nucleotides for