Chapter 4. Polymerase Chain Reaction and Other Methods for In Vitro DNA Amplification
Published Online: 20 JUN 2002
DOI: 10.1002/0471220566.ch4
Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Book Title
Genomics: The Science and Technology Behind the Human Genome Project
Additional Information
How to Cite
Cantor, C. R. and Smith, C. L. (2002) Polymerase Chain Reaction and Other Methods for In Vitro DNA Amplification, in Genomics: The Science and Technology Behind the Human Genome Project, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, USA. doi: 10.1002/0471220566.ch4
Publication History
- Published Online: 20 JUN 2002
- Published Print: 2 FEB 1999
ISBN Information
Print ISBN: 9780471599081
Online ISBN: 9780471220565
- Summary
- Chapter
Keywords:
- polymerase chain reaction (PCR);
- DNA amplification;
- noise;
- contamination;
- mispriming;
- misincorporation;
- long PCR;
- single-sided PCR;
- genome amplification methods;
- thermal cycling
Summary
There are two basic reasons why direct amplification of DNA is a vital part of DNA analysis. First, DNA amplification provides a route to an essentially limitless supply of material. The second rationale behind DNA amplification is that selective amplification of a region of a genome, chromosome, or sample provides a relatively easy way to purify that segment from the bulk. There are several overwhelming advantages of in vitro amplification. The major limitation of existing in vitro amplification methods until recently is that they were restricted to relatively short stretches of DNA, typically less than 5 kb. As discussed in this chapter, new long polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedures have extended the range of in vitro amplification up to about 20 kb.