Download Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Basic Research Workshop
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Kyun-Hwan Kim
Department of Pharmacology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, South Korea
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a biochemical technology to amplify a few copies of DNA generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence in molecular biology. The PCR was invented
in 1983 by Kary Mullis and is now a common and often indispensable technique used for a variety of applications in medical and biological research labs. In 1993, Dr. Mullis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
along with Michael Smith for his work on PCR.
Most PCR methods typically amplify DNA fragments of up to ~10 kilo base pairs, although some techniques allow for amplification of fragments up to 40 kb in size. The application of PCR include: the selective
DNA isolation, DNA cloning for sequencing, functional analysis of genes, amplification and quantification of
DNA, diagnosis of hereditary diseases, identification of genetic fingerprints such as forensic sciences and paternity testing, and the detection and diagnosis of infectious diseases (pathogens).
Recently, the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), also called quantitative real time polymerase
chain reaction (RT-qPCR) or kinetic polymerase chain reaction is widely used to amplify and simultaneously
quantify a targeted DNA molecule. Real Time-PCR enables both detection and quantification. The quantification can be either an absolute number of copies or a relative amount when normalized to DNA input or additional normalizing genes. In this talk, the basic principles, history, and applications of PCR/RT-PCR will be
presented.
Keyword: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Real-time PCR (RT-PCR), Quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR),
Gene amplification.
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