Introduction to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
What is PCR? PCR is a technique used to quickly amplify small segments of DNA
Amplification of DNA Each cycle doubles the number of DNA 1,000,000,000 copies after 30 cycles!
Why use PCR? Testing for disease Identifying species Crime scene analysis
How is PCR done? + Mix the ingredients in a microfuge tube and place samples into the thermocyler
Ingredients? DNA template Primers Nucleotide bases Taq Polymerase Buffer
Thermocycler Heating and cooling cycles are done in a thermocycler
Step 1: Denature Heat DNA (denature) to break hydrogen bonds to separate two strands
Step 2: Anneal Primers bind to template DNA strands
Step 3: Extend Taq Polymerase adds nucleotide bases to the new DNA strand
Analyze PCR samples PCR samples are analyzed by gel electrophoresis
YouTube PCR Animation