Polymerase Chain Reaction

PCR works readily with DNA of lengths two to three thousand base pairs, but above this length the polymerase tends to fall off, and the typical heating cycle does not leave enough time for polymerisation to complete. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a biochemistry and molecular biology technique for enzymatically replicating DNA without using a living organism, such as E. coli or yeast. Some PCR applications require the use of degenerate primers, which are mixtures of primers having one or more differences in bases at specific positions. Dr. Mullis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993 for his development of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The polymerase chain reaction is a technique for quickly cloning a particular piece of DNA in the test tube.