New method enables amplifiable protein identification from trace samples
In a study published in the journal National Science Review, researchers developed an amplifiable protein identification method called "AmproCode."
In a study published in the journal National Science Review, researchers developed an amplifiable protein identification method called "AmproCode."
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 8, 2024
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Parasites thought only to infect tropical coral reefs have been discovered in a large variety of creatures in cold marine ecosystems along the Northeast Pacific, according to new research from University of British Columbia ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 11, 2024
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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have great potential for the treatment of various immune diseases due to their unique immunomodulatory properties. However, MSCs exposed to the harsh inflammatory environment of damaged tissue ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 27, 2023
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One double-helix strand of DNA could extend six feet, but it is so tightly coiled that it packs an entire sequence of nucleotides into the tiny nucleus of a cell. If that same DNA was instead split into two strands and divided ...
Biotechnology
Oct 17, 2023
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85
Fire devastates communities and families, and it makes identification of victims challenging. In the aftermath of the wildfire that swept through Lahaina, Hawaii, officials are collecting DNA samples from relatives of missing ...
Biotechnology
Aug 21, 2023
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Citrus cultivation holds significant importance in Japan and has recently attracted both domestic and global attention. With an agricultural production value of approximately 201 billion yen, citrus is the third most important ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jun 21, 2023
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With each breath, humans exhale more than 1,000 distinct molecules, producing a unique chemical fingerprint or "breathprint" rich with clues about what's going on inside the body.
Analytical Chemistry
May 10, 2023
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126
Storing data in DNA sounds like science fiction, yet it lies in the near future. Professor Tom de Greef expects the first DNA data center to be up and running within five to ten years. Data won't be stored as zeros and ones ...
Bio & Medicine
May 4, 2023
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As we now know from our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, the microbes responsible for some infections can rapidly mutate into variants that evade detection and treatment.
Biochemistry
Feb 15, 2023
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Changes in river systems, overfishing and the appearance of new, invasive species can lead to a drastic decline in the number of native fish inhabiting aquatic ecosystems. In the Ashida river basin in Japan, the bitterling ...
Ecology
Feb 7, 2023
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In molecular biology, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique to amplify a single or few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating millions or more copies of a particular DNA sequence. The method relies on thermal cycling, consisting of cycles of repeated heating and cooling of the reaction for DNA melting and enzymatic replication of the DNA. Primers (short DNA fragments) containing sequences complementary to the target region along with a DNA polymerase (after which the method is named) are key components to enable selective and repeated amplification. As PCR progresses, the DNA generated is itself used as a template for replication, setting in motion a chain reaction in which the DNA template is exponentially amplified. PCR can be extensively modified to perform a wide array of genetic manipulations.
Almost all PCR applications employ a heat-stable DNA polymerase, such as Taq polymerase, an enzyme originally isolated from the bacterium Thermus aquaticus. This DNA polymerase enzymatically assembles a new DNA strand from DNA building blocks, the nucleotides, by using single-stranded DNA as a template and DNA oligonucleotides (also called DNA primers), which are required for initiation of DNA synthesis. The vast majority of PCR methods use thermal cycling, i.e., alternately heating and cooling the PCR sample to a defined series of temperature steps. These thermal cycling steps are necessary to physically separate the strands (at high temperatures) in a DNA double helix (DNA melting) used as the template during DNA synthesis (at lower temperatures) by the DNA polymerase to selectively amplify the target DNA. The selectivity of PCR results from the use of primers that are complementary to the DNA region targeted for amplification under specific thermal cycling conditions.
Developed in 1984 by Kary Mullis, PCR is now a common and often indispensable technique used in medical and biological research labs for a variety of applications. These include DNA cloning for sequencing, DNA-based phylogeny, or functional analysis of genes; the diagnosis of hereditary diseases; the identification of genetic fingerprints (used in forensic sciences and paternity testing); and the detection and diagnosis of infectious diseases. In 1993 Mullis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on PCR.
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