Lab 9: PCR and Gel Electrophoresis
Lab 9: PCR and Gel Electrophoresis (Photo: Chris Madden Cartoons) Introduction The purpose of the first lab was to first familiarize ourselves with the process of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). If there is isolated DNA, but not very much, PCR is used to make multiple copies of the DNA of interest. From initially creating the solution with the DNA intended for replication along with various other ingredients and then putting it through a temperature cycle many times, we will then be left with a highly concentrated solution of a specific DNA section. The critical point in this process is choosing the correct species specific primer that depends on the downstream application and what exactly we are looking for. For this part, we used DNA from a pure E. coli culture previously prepared in an earlier lab. The purpose of the second lab was to put the DNA that we previously separated in an earlier lab through an electrophoresis process that separates the DNA fragments