Polymerase chain reaction primer

Commonly Used Polymerase Chain Reaction Primers for Mitochondrial DNA Analysis... 

Scharf SJ, Smith AG, Hansen JA, McFarland C, Erlich HA. Quantitative determination of bone marrow transplant engraftraent using fluorescent polymerase chain reaction primers for human identity markers. Blood 1995 85 1954-63. 

Prediction of optimal polymerase chain reaction primers... 

Fig. 6. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) mediated site-directed mutagenesis. The 5 and 3 ends of the nucleotide strands are indicated. The four arrows surrounding the DNA template represent oligonucleotide primers 1—4. See text for discussion.

Differential display is a method for identifying differentially expressed genes, using anchored oligo-dT, random oligonucleotide primers and polymerase chain reaction on reverse-transcribed RNA from different cell populations. The amplified complementary DNAs are displayed and comparisons are drawn between the different cell populations. 

While many diseases have long been known to result from alterations in an individual s DNA, tools for the detection of genetic mutations have only recently become widely available. These techniques rely upon the catalytic efficiency and specificity of enzyme catalysts. For example, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) relies upon the ability of enzymes to serve as catalytic amplifiers to analyze the DNA present in biologic and forensic samples. In the PCR technique, a thermostable DNA polymerase, directed by appropriate oligonucleotide primers, produces thousands of copies of a sample of DNA that was present initially at levels too low for direct detection. 

Figure 40-7. The polymerase chain reaction is used to amplify specific gene sequences. Double-stranded DNA is heated to separate it into individual strands. These bind two distinct primers that are directed at specific sequences on opposite strands and that define the segment to be amplified. DNA polymerase extends the primers in each direction and synthesizes two strands complementary to the original two. This cycle is repeated several times, giving an amplified product of defined length and sequence. Note that the two primers are present in excess.

Cuypers, H. T. M etal. (1992). Storage conditions of blood samples and primer selection affect the yield of cDNA polymerase chain reaction products of hepatitis C virus. J. Clin. Microbiol 30, 3220-3224. 

Wu, Z., Nagano, I. and Takahashi, Y. (1998) The detection of Trichinella with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers constructed using sequences of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) or sequences of complementary DNA encoding excretory-secretory (E-S) glycoproteins. Parasitology 117, 173-183. 

Fig. 19.1 Differential displays comparing RNAs from saline (S)-, imipramine (I)- or fluoxetine (F)-treated rats. Total RNA was extracted from hypothalami of animals treated with the different drugs for two months. Autoradiograms of amplified -[35S]-dATP-labeled PCR (polymerase chain reaction) products after electrophoresis in 6% polyacrylamide gels are shown for two different primer combinations that identified one upregulated (arrowhead) and one downregulated (arrow) fragment in the groups treated with antidepressants (from [4] with permission).

Primeran oligonucleotide or pair of oligonucleotides used to direct an activity to a region of nucleic acid. With PCR (polymerase chain reaction), a pair of primers defines the area of the genome to be amplified. 

Oligonucleotide synthesis is used to produce small specific sequences of DNA. These are particularly important as primers in the polymerase chain reaction. 

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