title: Polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: The PCR, like recombinant DNA technology, has had an enormous impact in both basic and diagnostic aspects of molecular biology because it can produce large amounts of a specific DNA fragment from small amounts of a complex template. Recombinant DNA techniques create molecular clones by conferring on a specific sequence the ability to replicate by inserting it into a vector and introducing the vector into a host cell. PCR represents a form of "in vitro cloning" that can generate, as well as modify, DNA fragments of defined length and sequence in a simple automated reaction. In addition to its many applications in basic molecular biological research, PCR promises to play a critical role in the identification of medically important sequences as well as an important diagnostic one in their detection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, Cetus Corporation, Emeryville, California 94608.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Erlich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D003933:Diagnosis; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004247:DNA