you heated the samples containing your cheek cells Think ca

. you heated the samples containing your cheek cells. Think carefully about where this DNA was packaged in your cells, and what high temperatures usually do toenzyme structure and function. (Hint: Lysosomes contain enzymes known as DNAses!) What functions doyou think these high temperature incubations served in your DNA extractions? 3. you added a “PCR Master Mix” to your DNA to beginthe PCR. What ingredients did this PCR master mix have to contain to allow the successful amplification ofyour DNA? What do each of these ingredients do in your reaction?

Solution

1). At higher temperatures, the enzymes undergo denaturation as they are made of proteins. Denaturation of enzymes makes them functionally inactive. So, enzymes become non-functional at too higher temperatures.

In cells, DNA is packed in the nucleus. When the cells are heated, the cell membrane disrupts and leaks the cellular contents out. The rupture of lysosomal membrane releases the lysosomal enzymes that also includes DNAase. These enzymes are degraded at higher temperatures so that the DNA can be extracted possibly intact without damage.