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    Published 12 September 2016 Referencing Hub media
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    ESR scientist Dr Brent Gilpin explains how polymerase chain reaction1 or PCR2 is able to identify specific bacteria3.

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    Dr Brent Gilpin
    PCR – polymerase chain reaction – is a way of amplifying up very small amounts of DNA4 very specifically. So we are able to, out of a background of millions of DNA sequences from thousands of different types of bacteria, use DNA primers to pull out just the DNA sequence from a specific organism5 or group of organisms.

    Acknowledgements:
    TVNZ Television Archives

    1. polymerase chain reaction (PCR): A method that rapidly increases the number of copies of a target DNA sequence. Can be used for detecting small amounts of DNA material or generating multiple copies for use in further processes.
    2. polymerase chain reaction (PCR): A method that rapidly increases the number of copies of a target DNA sequence. Can be used for detecting small amounts of DNA material or generating multiple copies for use in further processes.
    3. bacteria: (Singular: bacterium) Single-celled microorganisms that have no nucleus.
    4. DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule that contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop and function. These instructions are stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C) and thymine (T).
    5. organism: A living thing.

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    ARTICLE

    What is PCR?

    PCR is shorthand for a simple but very useful procedure in molecular biology called the polymerase chain reaction. It is a technique used to amplify a segment of DNA of interest or produce lots ...

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      polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

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      2. A method that rapidly increases the number of copies of a target DNA sequence. Can be used for detecting small amounts of DNA material or generating multiple copies for use in further processes.

      organism

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      3. A living thing.

      bacteria

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      4. (Singular: bacterium) Single-celled microorganisms that have no nucleus.

      DNA

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      5. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule that contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop and function. These instructions are stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C) and thymine (T).

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