Application of Polymerase Chain Reaction in Molecular Immunology

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the application of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in molecular immunology. PCR can amplify in vitro –specific sections of DNA many orders of magnitude, using a DNA polymerase and two oligonucleotide primers that hybridize to opposite strands flanking the DNA template of interest. The selectivity of PCR amplification is a result of the specificity of the DNA primers and the annealing conditions. To select appropriate primers, a few considerations should be taken into account. For cDNA, primers should be selected to distinguish between genomic and cDNA-derived PCR products. The general GC content of the primers should be similar to that of the fragment being amplified. The field of PCR is expanding rapidly.