Amplification of nucleic acids by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and other methods and their applications

• Published in: Critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology Vol. 26; no. 3/4; pp. 301 - 334
• Main Authors: Bej, A.K, Mahbubani, M.H, Atlas, R.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 1991
• Subjects: Bacterial Infections - diagnosis; Base Sequence; cloning; Cloning, Molecular - methods; DNA - analysis; dna amplification; in vitro; In Vitro Techniques; literature reviews; Metabolism, Inborn Errors - diagnosis; Molecular Biology - methods; molecular genetics; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA - analysis; rna amplification; sequence analysis; Virus Diseases - diagnosis
• ISSN: 1040-9238; 1549-7798
• DOI: 10.3109/10409239109114071

The in vitro replication of DNA, principally using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), permits the amplification of defined sequences of DNA. By exponentially amplifying a target sequence, PCR significantly enhances the probability of detecting target gene sequences in complex mixtures of DNA. It also facilitates the cloning and sequencing of genes. Amplification of DNA by PCR and other newly developed methods has been applied in many areas of biological research, including molecular biology, biotechnology, and medicine, permitting studies that were not possible before. Nucleic acid amplification has added a new and revolutionary dimension to molecular biology. This review examines PCR and other in vitro nucleic acid amplification methodologies--examining the critical parameters and variations and their widespread applications--giving the strengths and limitations of these methodologies.