Chapter 12: ActivitiesActivity 12.2 Polymerase Chain Reaction |
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In the early 1980s, the scientist Kary Mullis had an idea that revolutionized how biologists work with DNA. The DNA replication enzymes of cells, plus a few other ingredients, could duplicate a fragment of DNA, doubling the number of molecules present until millions are produced. In this activity, you’ll see the process of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which allows minute amounts of DNA to be amplified into large amounts. PCR’s success is based on Taq polymerase, an enzyme derived from a bacterium living in hot springs. PCR requires many cycles of near-boiling temperatures, which the Taq enzyme can tolerate.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Chapter 12, Section 12.3, Analyzing DNA Sequences in the Laboratory |