Polymerase Chain Reaction

Definition

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a laboratory technique used to amplify a specific segment of DNA. It allows researchers to make multiple copies of a particular DNA sequence in order to study it or use it for further experiments.

Related terms

Primers: Short DNA sequences that serve as starting points for the PCR reaction.

Denaturation:

The process in which the double-stranded DNA template is heated to separate its two strands.

Taq polymerase: A heat-resistant enzyme used in PCR to synthesize new DNA strands.