Polymerase chain reactionThe polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a laboratory method widely used to amplify copies of specific DNA sequences rapidly, to enable detailed study. PCR was invented in 1983 by American biochemistKary Mullis at Cetus Corporation. Mullis and biochemist Michael Smith, who had developed other essential ways of manipulating DNA, were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993.
Thermus aquaticusThermus aquaticus (Latin for "hot water") is a species of bacteria that can tolerate high temperatures, one of several thermophilic bacteria that belong to the Deinococcota phylum. It is the source of the heat-resistant enzyme Taq DNA polymerase, one of the most important enzymes in molecular biology because of its use in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) DNA amplification technique.
Directionality (molecular biology)Directionality, in molecular biology and biochemistry, is the end-to-end chemical orientation of a single strand of nucleic acid.
EnzymeLarge biological molecule that acts as a catalystThe enzyme glucosidase converts the sugar maltose into two glucose sugars. Active site residues in red, maltose substrate in black, and NADcofactor in yellow. (PDB: 1OBB)An enzyme is a biological macromolecule, usually a protein, that acts as a biological catalyst, accelerating chemical reactions without being consumed in the process.
Thermostable DNA polymeraseThermostable DNA polymerases are DNA polymerases that originate from thermophiles, usually bacterial or archaeal species, and are therefore thermostable. They are used for the polymerase chain reaction and related methods for the amplification and modification of DNA. Thermostable DNA polymerases of natural origin are found in thermophilic bacteria, archaea and their pathogens.
ExonucleaseExonucleases are enzymes that work by cleaving nucleotides one at a time from the end (exo) of a polynucleotide chain. A hydrolyzing reaction that breaks phosphodiester bonds at either the 3′ or the 5′ end occurs. Its close relative is the endonuclease, which cleaves phosphodiester bonds in the middle (endo) of a polynucleotide chain.
Denaturation (biochemistry)IUPAC definitionProcess of partial or total alteration of the native secondary, and/or tertiary, and/or quaternary structures of proteins or nucleic acids resulting in a loss of bioactivity. Note 1: Modified from the definition given in ref. Note 2: Denaturation can occur when proteins and nucleic acids are subjected to elevated temperature or to extremes of pH, or to nonphysiological concentrations of salt, organic solvents, urea, or other chemical agents.
Alice Chien ChangAlice Chien Chang (March 14, 1950 – March 2, 2026) was a Taiwanese molecular biologist and neuroscientist. She taught at National Yang-Ming Medical College, National Yang-Ming University, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University.
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid (pronunciation; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses. DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are nucleic acids.
ThermophileA thermophile is a type of extremophile that thrives at relatively high temperatures, between 41 and 122 °C (106 and 252 °F). Many thermophiles are archaea, though some of them are bacteria and fungi. Thermophilic bacteria are suggested to have been among the earliest bacteria.
Hydrothermal ventHydrothermal vents are fissures on the seabed from which geothermally heated water discharges. They are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart at mid-ocean ridges, ocean basins, and hotspots. The dispersal of hydrothermal fluids throughout the global ocean at active vent sites creates hydrothermal plumes. Hydrothermal deposits are rocks and mineral ore deposits formed by the action of hydrothermal vents.
Escherichia coliEscherichia coli ( ) is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus Escherichia that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Most E. colistrains are part of the normal microbiota of the gut, where they constitute about 0.1%, along with other facultative anaerobes. These bacteria are mostly harmless or even beneficial to humans.
Hot springGrand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National ParkA hot spring, thermal spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heatedgroundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circulation through faults to hot rock deep in the Earth's crust. Hot spring water often contains large amounts of dissolved minerals.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.