POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION AND ITS APPLICATIONS - SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON ITS ROLE IN EMBRYO SEXING

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has developed into one of the most promising methods for in vitro enzymatic amplification of DNA and has found widespread application in DNA cloning, sequencing and mutagenes is related studies. This innovative technique can selectively amplify a single target DNA molecule a billion-fold in a span of a few hours. Amplification of specific DNA sequences by PCR is useful in identifica tion of sex, novel genes, pathogens and diseases. PCR has facilitated the establishment of evolutionary relationships among species and in r evealing structural intricacies of single cells. In this article we re view some of the major advances and applications of PCR, especially, i ts role in embryo sexing.