An enzymatic reaction where temperature stable DNA polymerase, DNA primers, dNTPs and a DNA template are mixed together. A three step temperature cycle is used to denature, anneal primers to and then copy the DNA. The first step at near 95C causes the double stranded DNA template to denature. The second step at near 55C allows the primers to anneal to the DNA template. In the third step at 72C, DNA polymerase copies the template. This process is repeated from 25-50 times, resulting in a large amplification of the template DNA.
« Back to Glossary Indexpolymerase chain reaction
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