PCR


abbreviation for
  1. polymerase chain reaction: a technique for rapidly producing many copies of a fragment of DNA for diagnostic or research purposes

Words Nearby PCR

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use PCR in a sentence

  • Obama did authorize sending kits for a diagnostic Ebola test called the EZ1 Real-Time RT-PCR Assay.

  • The PCR has a similar pyramidal structure, the topmost organs being self-selecting and self-perpetuating.

    Area Handbook for Romania | Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
  • Direction of the country's economy is highly centralized and rigidly controlled by the PCR.

    Area Handbook for Romania | Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
  • Individual and group participation in the political process was limited to the forms and means permitted by the PCR.

    Area Handbook for Romania | Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
  • In the late 1960s the PCR was disturbed by the extent to which abstract art had blossomed despite party disapproval.

    Area Handbook for Romania | Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
  • In addition to the broad program of the academy, the PCR also maintains other ideological training institutions.

    Area Handbook for Romania | Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole

Cultural definitions for PCR

PCR

A laboratory technique that can amplify the amount of DNA from a tiny sample to a large amount within just a few hours. Theoretically, PCR can take one molecule and produce measurable amounts of identical DNA in a short period of time. It is used in DNA fingerprinting and DNA sequencing.

Notes for PCR

An enzyme used in this process was originally found in bacteria in hot springs.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.