The purpose of polymerase chain reaction is to do what?

The U.S. Department of Justice has established a database that catalogs PCR amplification products from short tandem repeats of the Y chromosome (Y-STRs) in humans. The database contains polymorphisms of five U.S. ethnic groups (African-Americans, European Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian-Americans) as well as the worldwide population.

Y-STRs from the nonrecombining region of the Y chromosome (NRY) have special relevance for forensic purposes. Why?

The U.S. Department of Justice has established a database that catalogs PCR amplification products from short tandem repeats of the Y chromosome (Y-STRs) in humans. The database contains polymorphisms of five U.S. ethnic groups (African-Americans, European Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian-Americans) as well as the worldwide population.

Given that STRs are repeats of varying lengths, for example (TCTG)₉₋₁₇ or (TAT)₆₋₁₄, explain how PCR could reveal differences (polymorphisms) among individuals. How could the Department of Justice make use of those differences?

There are a variety of circumstances under which rapid results using multiple markers in PCR amplifications are highly desired, such as in forensics, pathogen analysis, or detection of genetically modified organisms. In multiplex PCR, multiple sets of primers are used, often with less success than when applied to PCR as individual sets. Numerous studies have been conducted to optimize procedures, but each has described the process as time consuming and often unsuccessful. Considering the information given in Problem 30, why should multiplex PCR be any different than single primer set PCR in terms of dependability and ease of optimization?

Which of the following lists the steps of genetic cloning in the proper order?

In this chapter, we focused on a number of interesting applications of genetic engineering, genomics, and biotechnology. At the same time, we found many opportunities to consider the methods and reasoning by which much of this information was acquired. From the explanations given in the chapter, what answers would you propose to the following fundamental questions?

What experimental evidence confirms that we have introduced a useful gene into a transgenic organism and that it performs as we anticipate?

In this chapter we focused on how specific DNA sequences can be copied, identified, characterized, and sequenced. At the same time, we found many opportunities to consider the methods and reasoning underlying these techniques. From the explanations given in the chapter, what answers would you propose to the following fundamental questions?

How has DNA-sequencing technology evolved in response to the emerging needs of genome scientists?