A major factor in the advancement of the genomic field and subsequent sequencing of the human genome was the ability to amplify the amount of genes, giving researchers an unlimited supply of DNA. This technique, which has also been a major contributor to the advancement of molecular biology, is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
PCR utilizes the unique characteristics of enzymes found in the thermophile Thermus aquaticus, an organism that lives at high temperatures (>60°C). The basic principle of the PCR reaction is to heat the DNA to be copied to >90ºC to denature it, rapidly cool the DNA to allow specific primers to bind and then heating to 72°C to activate the polymerase, an enzyme for copying DNA. The presence of a polymerase from a thermophile ensures that the high temperatures are not detrimental to the enzyme.
The Polymerase Chain Reaction kit teaches students how to perform PCR and many of the various applications of this technique in research, biotechnology and other applications. In addition, the kit can be used to insert additional genetic information, such as tags, on to the gene of interest.
Supplied with components needed for hands-on experimentation for six workstations of 4-5 students or 24-30 students. Supplied with Teacher’s Guide and separate Student’s Guides.
Applications
- Teaches the principle of polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
- Hands on PCR.
- Contains everything necessary for amplification of a gene of interest.
