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Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is a core technique used extensively in molecular biology research to amplify a specific DNA template in vitro rapidly. It enables researchers to generate significant quantities of sample DNA for a wide range of downstream laboratory and clinical applications, including cloning, genotyping, sequencing, mutagenesis, forensics, and the detection of pathogens to diagnose infectious diseases. Since being introduced in 1985, several iterations of the PCR process have been developed, including quantitative PCR (qPCR) for monitoring DNA amplification in real-time and reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) for the detection of RNA, a tool that has become instrumental in viral diagnostics.
PCR is commonly used to amplify a single DNA template into millions or billions of identical copies in vitro. A typical amplification reaction requires a DNA template, thermostable DNA polymerase, forward and reverse primers, deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs), and a reaction buffer (Table 1). The components are combined in a PCR or Eppendorf tube and then placed in a thermal cycler to facilitate the amplification process. While inside the thermal cycler, the PCR mixture undergoes a series of temperature and time adjustments which includes three key steps: (1) template denaturation, (2) primer annealing, and (3) primer extension.
PCR Process
During the denaturation process, the double-stranded DNA template is heated at 95°C for two minutes. The high temperature causes hydrogen bonds between the complementary base pairs in the DNA template to separate into two single-stranded components. Next, the temperature is reduced to 50-65°C for approximately 20-40 seconds to facilitate primer annealing to each single-stranded DNA. After annealing, the temperature is increased to 70-74°C to initiate elongation. In this step, DNA polymerases will bind to and extend the primer to form a nascent DNA strand. It does so by moving along the DNA template base by base in the 5` to 3` direction and adds the corresponding complementary dNTP from the reaction mixture. Altogether, these three steps are referred to as a PCR cycle, and after each cycle, the number of double-stranded DNA fragments doubles. PCR cycles are repeated 25 to 30 times to amplify the original DNA template exponentially.