Polymerase Chain Reaction

An in vitro enzymatic method that exponentially amplifies a specified DNA fragment by iterative cycles of denaturation, primer annealing and extension using a thermostable DNA polymerase and sequence-specific primers.

A laboratory molecular technique that enzymatically amplifies a specific nucleic acid target through repeated thermal cycles of denaturation, primer annealing and polymerase extension, producing many copies of the target sequence so it can be detected or analysed; when applied to RNA it requires a reverse‑transcription step prior to amplification.