Do you have a short region of a DNA molecule that needs to be copied? Alyssa, a QC Scientist at Addgene, walks you through the PCR process. For the full protocol text, visit www.addgene.org/protocols/pcr/
A standard Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is an in vitro method that allows a single, short region of a DNA molecule (single gene perhaps) to be copied multiple times by Taq Polymerase. From a single copy of DNA (the template), a researcher can create thousands of identical copies using a simple set of reagents and a basic heating and cooling (denaturing and annealing) cycle. The process became automated with the discovery of a heat resistant DNA polymerase from the thermophilic bacterium, Thermus aquaticus (Taq). Taq polymerase can withstand many heating and cooling cycles, which would denature DNA polymerases from other species.
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0:00 Intro & Overview
1:35 Materials
2:29 Getting Started in the Lab
3:20 PCR Process
5:01 Agarose Gel Prep & Downtime
5:15 Running Your Gel
5:30 Troubleshooting
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Credits
Featuring: Alyssa Cecchetelli
Directed, Animated, Edited, & Written by: Quintin Marcelino
Music by: Lauren Duski, Vibe Mountain, and RKVC, courtesy of KZfaq Audio Library