What type of polymerases can be used to incorporate labeled nucleotides during elongation?

The correct answer identifies that both DNA and RNA polymerases can be utilized to incorporate labeled nucleotides during the elongation phase of nucleic acid synthesis.

DNA polymerases are enzymes that synthesize new DNA strands by adding nucleotides to a pre-existing strand, and they can incorporate labeled nucleotides, such as those with fluorescent or radioactive tags, into the growing DNA chain. This labeling is useful in various molecular biology applications, including sequencing and detection assays.

Similarly, RNA polymerases synthesize RNA from a DNA template during transcription, and they also have the ability to incorporate labeled nucleotides. These labeled RNAs can be valuable in applications such as in situ hybridization or quantitative PCR, where tracking and measuring RNA can provide insights into gene expression levels.

The applicability of both types of polymerases exemplifies their versatility in molecular biology experiments, making them critical tools for researchers working with nucleic acids.