Polymerase chain reaction as a succesful biotechnological application. Ways we use PCR in the fields of bioinformatics forensics and genetics
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Date
2011-08-29T09:47:24Z
Authors
Λάζαρη, Σπυριδούλα
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Abstract
Molecular genetics use molecular methods that amplify specific fragments of DNA. Today, the molecular techniques which were developed for amplification and detection of specific sequences of nucleic acids helped in a great deal to understand the structure of many diseases.
Polymerase chain reaction or PCR is a technique that is used for isolation and amplification of a specific sequence of DNA. PCR is an in vitro method that exploits the in vivo procedure of replication of DNA. DNA polymerase is used to amplify a piece of DNA by in vitro enzymatic replication. As PCR progresses, the DNA thus generated is itself used as a template for replication. This sets in motion a chain reaction in which the DNA template is exponentially amplified. With PCR it is possible to amplify a single or few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating millions or more copies of the DNA piece. PCR was designed and presented by Dr Kary Mullis (1983).Today PCR has a great range of implementations related to 1) the cloning and the study of gene’s expression 2) the detection of mutations that are responsible for hereditary diseases 3) Criminology, Toxicology and Forensics.
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Keywords
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Genetics