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. 2008:9–15. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4020-6241-4_2

A Brief Comparison Between In Vivo DNA Replication and In Vitro PCR Amplification

PMCID: PMC7120002

Abstract

In principle, PCR generates large quantities of DNA from a minute amount of nucleic acid starting material using a methodology similar to (but much simpler than) that seen in living cells. For living cells, in vivo DNA synthesis is dependent upon a well defined but complex set of enzymes and co-factors, which have evolved to act in a concerted fashion during the synthetic phase (S-phase) of the cell cycle. In comparison, PCR facilitates in vitro DNA synthesis in a much simpler fashion, making use of a smaller set of defined ingredients and reaction conditions involving relatively high temperatures. The range of factors contributing to successful PCR amplification is reviewed below.

Keywords: Exonuclease Activity, Deoxynucleotide Triphosphate, Exonuclease Domain, Concerted Fashion, Single Strand Binding Protein

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Articles from Principles and Technical Aspects of PCR Amplification are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

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