Topic Introduction

Setting Up a PCR Laboratory

Adapted from "Setting Up a PCR Laboratory," Chapter 1, in PCR Primer, 2nd edition (eds. Dieffenbach and Dveksler). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2003.

INTRODUCTION

Development of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a basic component of the molecular biology laboratory has occurred very rapidly from its inception in 1985. As PCR became more widely used, scientists rapidly learned more about it and, as a result, learned that PCR had its strong points and its deficiencies. Very quickly, PCR demonstrated its power to amplify very small amounts (e.g., a single copy) of template nucleic acid and to amplify different nucleic acids (e.g., DNA and RNA). At the same time, laboratory personnel learned that this biochemical reaction had a unique deficiency, namely, a strong susceptibility to contamination from its own product. This article is devoted to establishing a PCR laboratory whose operations will give reliable and contamination-free results.