Polymerase Chain Reaction
A polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, allows a molecular biologist to create multiple copies of DNA without using a living organism for synthesis. Polymerase chain reaction is used for several tasks, including:
- The detection of hereditary diseases
- Identification of genetic fingerprints
- Diagnosis of infectious diseases
- Gene cloning
- Paternity testing
- Mutagenesis
- Analysis of ancient DNA samples, which often do not have enough DNA to work with. This has been used on mummies and on a 40,000-year-old mammoth.
- Genotyping of specific mutations
- Comparison of gene expression, to separate environmental influences from genetic ones
Elements required to create a polymerase chain reaction include:
- The DNA template (the sample that needs multiplication)
- Primers to determine the beginning and end of the amplification region
- A DNA-Polymerase
- Loose nucleotides that the polymerase can use as building blocks for the new DNA
- A buffer to provide a chemical environment
The whole process is often carried out in a thermal cycler to provide the tightly specified environment for the reaction to take place and often uses Taq polymerase because of its thermostability. Newer processes being developed don't require a temperature cycler.
Web Resources On Polymerase Chain Reaction
Wikipedia: Polymerase Chain Reaction
The Polymerase Chain Reaction
Book Resources On Polymerase Chain ReactionThe Polymerase Chain Reaction by J. D. Watson
PCR Primer: A Laboratory Manual by Dieffenbach & Dveksler
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