Principles and Applications for DNA Amplification, Essay Example

As a scientific cloning method, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has its advantages as well as limitations. Considering the advantages, PCR is a simple popular technique with a wide range of applications. The PRC method is actually preferred due to its sensitivity, robustness, speed as well as ease of use. When cloning DNA using PCR, the process can only take few hours by use of equipment that is not sophisticated. After establishing and testing the reaction conditions, other reactions can simply be repeated (Ehrlich 128). The method is also liked to due to its sensitivity in a way that it is capable of amplifying DNA sequences from very minute amounts including cells. This method can as well permit isolation and amplification of target DNA from sources where DNA appears to be deeply embedded or even degraded. Isolation of such DNA using other methods can prove to be very problematic (McPherson, Taylor and Quirke 131). This qualifies the method as robust and reliable.

The PCR technique also has its limitation. Infidelity of DNA replication, product appearing to be short size and the general qualifications for prior target sequence information are the major disadvantages associated with PCR. The need for prior information of the target DNA in some instances hinders selective amplifications of specific DNA due to the complex procedures required to get hold of the prior information (Newton and Graham 82). Efficient amplification by PCR is hard to achieve because the product size is usually very small compared to other cell based DNA cloning techniques. The ability of the PCR technique to replicate the DNA is a bit lower compared to other cell based methods. This is because PCR replicates the DNA in vitro which is associated with higher rates of copying error. Unlike PCR method, Cell based DNA closing method replicates DNA is vivo which records high fidelity of copying due to the mechanisms of proofreading (Ehrlich, Gelfand and Sninsky 1649).

Works Cited

Ehrlich, H. PCR Technology: Principles and Applications for DNA Amplification. Stockton Press, New York, (1989). Print

Ehrlich, H., Gelfand, D, and Sninsky, J.  Recent advances in the polymerase chain reaction. Science. (1991); 252:1643–1651. Print.

McPherson, J., Taylor, R. and Quirke, P. PCR: a Practical Approach. IRL Press, Oxford, (1991). Print.

Newton, R. and Graham, A. PCR, 2nd edn, BIOS Scientific Publishers, Oxford. (1997). Print.