Difference Between Taq Polymerase and DNA Polymerase

Name: Difference Between Taq Polymerase and DNA Polymerase
Creator: AAT Bioquest
License: https://www.aatbio.com/tou.html

Basis Of Differentiation ▲ ▼	Taq polymerase ▲ ▼	DNA polymerase ▲ ▼
Definition	Is a thermostable DNA polymerase extracted from thermophiles that creates DNA	Is an enzyme that facilitates DNA replication in the form of nucleic acid molecules
Occurs naturally in	Thermophilic bacteria Thermus aquaticus	Prokaryotic organisms
Optimal temperature	72°C	37°C
High temperatures	Active and does not degrade at high temperatures	Not active at high temperatures because of degradation
Residues	The cytosine residues get methylated	The lysine residues get acetylated
Processivity	Adds 2-4 kilobases / minute	Adds ~15-20 nucleotides/ second
Application	Used in PCR	Used to synthesize DNA in prokaryotic cells

References

MLA	"Quest Database™ Difference Between Taq Polymerase and DNA Polymerase." AAT Bioquest, Inc., 4 Sep. 2025, https://www.aatbio.com/data-sets/difference-between-taq-polymerase-and-dna-polymerase.
APA	AAT Bioquest, Inc. (2025, September 4). Quest Database™ Difference Between Taq Polymerase and DNA Polymerase. AAT Bioquest. https://www.aatbio.com/data-sets/difference-between-taq-polymerase-and-dna-polymerase.
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