In a follow up to our overview on DNA methods, we wanted to discuss PCR (polymerase chain reaction) which is one of the most sensitive and versatile techniques in molecular biology. PCR is a technique which selectively amplifies any targeted DNA from a complex mixture based on a set of framing primers. These primers are ~20 base oligonucleotides which we can (1) design based on a sequenced genome and (2) make/order based on solid-phase chemical synthesis. PCR has many applications (see partial list below) but is to test for a particular gene/mutation (i.e. “genotype”) in an animal (see figure above).
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