Custom PCR
Contact for Financial Inquiries and Quote Requests
Please email Kim and Elizabeth at ggbc@uga.edu, for financial inquiries or to request a quote. Be as specific as possible, so that they can more quickly assist you.
Custom PCR
| Service Description | UGA Fee | Non UGA Fee | Commercial Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCR set up fee (max. 96 reactions) | $36.00 | $42.50 | $45.00 |
| PCR reaction charge (per reaction) | $2.40 | $2.85 | $3.00 |
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used in molecular biology to amplify a single copy or a few copies of a segment of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence. It is an easy, cheap, and reliable way to repeatedly replicate a focused segment of DNA, a concept which is applicable to numerous fields in modern biology and related sciences.[1]
Developed in 1983 by Kary Mullis,[2][3] PCR is now a common and often indispensable technique used in clinical and research laboratories for a broad variety of applications.[4][5] These include DNA cloning for sequencing, gene cloning and manipulation, gene mutagenesis; construction of DNA-based phylogenies, or functional analysis of genes; diagnosis and monitoring of hereditary diseases; amplification of ancient DNA;[6] analysis of genetic fingerprints for DNA profiling (for example, in forensic science and parentage testing); and detection of pathogens in nucleic acid tests for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. In 1993, Mullis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Michael Smith for his work on PCR.[7]
The vast majority of PCR methods rely on thermal cycling, which involves exposing the reactants to cycles of repeated heating and cooling, permitting different temperature-dependent reactions—specifically, DNA melting and enzyme-driven DNA replication—to quickly proceed many times in sequence. Primers (short DNA fragments) containing sequences complementary to the target region, along with a DNA polymerase, after which the method is named, enable selective and repeated amplification. As PCR progresses, the DNA generated is itself used as a template for replication, setting in motion a chain reaction in which the original DNA template is exponentially amplified. The simplicity of the basic principle underlying PCR means it can be extensively modified to perform a wide array of genetic manipulations. PCR is not generally considered to be a recombinant DNA method, as it does not involve cutting and pasting DNA, only amplification of existing sequences.
Almost all PCR applications employ a heat-stable DNA polymerase, such as Taq polymerase, an enzyme originally isolated from the thermophilic bacterium Thermus aquaticus. This DNA polymerase enzymatically assembles a new DNA strand from free nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA, by using single-stranded DNA as a template and DNA oligonucleotides (the primers mentioned above) to initiate DNA synthesis.
In the first step, the two strands of the DNA double helix are physically separated at a high temperature in a process called DNA melting. In the second step, the temperature is lowered and the two DNA strands become templates for DNA polymerase to selectively amplify the target DNA. The selectivity of PCR results from the use of primers that are complementary to the DNA region targeted for amplification under specific thermal cycling conditions.