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17.3: Creating, Correcting, and Analyzing Genetic Variation

  • Page ID
    75267
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    • 17.3.1: DNA Fingerprinting
    • 17.3.2: PCR-Based Mutagenesis
      The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) allows one to use the power of DNA replication to amplify DNA enormously in a short period of time. As you know, cells replicate their DNA before they divide, and in doing so, double the amount of the cell’s DNA. PCR essentially mimics cellular DNA replication in the test tube, repeatedly copying the target DNA over and over, to produce large quantities of the desired DNA.
    • 17.3.3: Genome Editing (CRISPR)
      The development of tools that would allow scientists to make specific, targeted changes in the genome has been the Holy Grail of molecular biology. An ingenious new tool that is both simple and effective in making precise changes is poised to revolutionize the field, much as PCR did in the 1980s. Known as the CRISPR/Cas9 system, and often abbreviated simply as CRISPR, it is based on a sort of bacterial immune system that allows bacteria to recognize and inactivate viral invaders.


    17.3: Creating, Correcting, and Analyzing Genetic Variation is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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