Polymerase chain reaction technique

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-021540",
  "term": "Polymerase chain reaction technique",
  "field": "Environment",
  "term_source": "Polymerase Chain Reaction Technique",
  "definition": "1. A technique for amplifying DNA sequences in vitro by separating the DNA into two strands and incubating it with nucleotides, oligonucleotide primers, and DNA polymerase. It can amplify a specific sequence of DNA by more than a billion times (e.g., 40 cycles = 240 = one trillion amplicons).\n\n2. A method for amplifying a DNA base sequence using a heat-stable polymerase and two 20-base primers, one complementary to the (+) strand at one end of the sequence to be amplified and one complementary to the (-) strand at the other end. Because the newly synthesized DNA strands can subsequently serve as additional templates for the same primer sequences, successive rounds of primer annealing, strand elongation, and dissociation produce rapid and highly specific amplification of the desired sequence. PCR also can be used to detect the existence of the defined sequence in a DNA sample.\n\n3. A process for the exponential amplification of a specific region of DNA using DNA primers that flank the region of interest and a DNA polymerase to catalyze the reaction.\n\n4. A procedure that produces multiple copies of a short segment of DNA through cycles of: 1) denaturation (heat-induced separation of double-stranded DNA into single strands); 2) annealing (binding of specific primers on either end of the target segment); and 3) elongation (extension of the primer sequences over the target segment with DNA polymerase). The amplified product, doubled each cycle for 30 or more cycles, can then be subjected to further testing.\n\n5. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a laboratory technique used to amplify DNA sequences. The method involves using short DNA sequences called primers to select the portion of the genome to be amplified. The temperature of the sample is repeatedly raised and lowered to help a DNA replication enzyme copy the target DNA sequence. The technique can produce a billion copies of the target sequence in just a few hours.",
  "abbreviation": "PCR Technique",
  "subject": "Research",
  "references": [
    "EPA Quality Assurance/Quality Control Guidance for Laboratories Performing PCR Analyses on Environmental Samples Glossary at http://www.epa.gov/nerlcwww/qa_qc_pcr10_04.pdf",
    "U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Human Genome Project Information, Genome Glossary",
    "EPA Genetic Diversity as an Indicator of Ecosystem Condition and Sustainability Glossary at http://www.epa.gov/eerd/Glossary-%20Genetic%20Diversity.pdf",
    "NIH Genetics Home Reference Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/polymerase-chain-reaction-technique/"
}