Polymerase Chain Reaction

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ¹ was developed by Kerry Mullis in 1983 and is a mainstay of molecular biology. The history of the development of the PCR has been described ² as well as its importance for biotechnology. ³ , ⁴ PCR is a method used for amplification of DNA or RNA for analysis or use in recombinant DNA technology. ⁵ – ⁸ There are a number of version of the PCR which are shown in Table PCR 1. Some variations of the PCR such as the panhandle PCR ⁹ , ¹⁰ and vectorette PCR ¹¹ – ¹³ which are used for genomic sequencing are not shown in the table. Although the bulk of PCR is used for genomic diagnostics and recombinant DNA work, there is use of PCR for the amplification of barcodes in DNA chemical libraries. ¹⁴ , ¹⁵ Primed in situ labeling (PRINS) is a technical approach related to PCR where a DNA probe is used to bind to denatured cellular DNA and serve as a primer for a PCR where the product can be visualized with a label such as biotin or digoxigenin (both as dUTP derivatives). ¹⁶ , ¹⁷