MBIO 2420 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Kary Mullis, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Dna Polymerase
7 Dec 2016
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Unit 2 - polymerase chain reaction (pcr) and. The purpose is to make more dna. Polymerase - dna polymerase: dna polymerase duplicates dna, before a cell divides, its dna must be duplicated, polymerases come from cells. Chain reaction - the product of a reaction is used to amplify the same reaction: the product is used to make more product, exponential. Pcr performs the chemistry of dna duplication in vitro. Numerous pcr applications make this process a staple in most biology laboratories. Understanding properties of dna polymerase helps understanding pcr. Pcr was discovered by kary mullis: on a long motorcycle drive, mentally visualized the process. He won the nobel prize in chemistry in 1993. Necessary for reproduction of new cells: needed for any dna virus. More than one dna polymerase exist in different organisms: different ones are used for different tasks. Needs a pre-existing dna to duplicate: cannot assemble a new strand from components, called template dna.
