The spelling of the word "DOPPCR" can be explained using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) phonetic transcription. It is pronounced as /dɑkpəkɹ/. The word consists of the letters D, O, P, C, and R which together represent the sounds of the word. The initial letters DOPC represent the procedure of DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction while adding a single-stranded probe for detecting a specific nucleotide variation. The final letter R represents the final product which is a double helix polymerase chain reaction product.
DOPPCR, short for "Degenerate Oligonucleotide-Primed PCR," is a molecular biology technique used for amplifying specific DNA sequences. It is a modified version of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) that employs degenerate primers to target and amplify a specific DNA region of interest.
In DOPPCR, a combination of primers is designed with degenerate bases at specific positions, allowing them to anneal to a range of target DNA sequences with slight variations. This is particularly useful when amplifying DNA from samples with extensive genetic diversity or when targeting genes with high sequence variability. The degenerate primers aid in capturing the diverse variations within the target gene, enabling the amplification of a diverse pool of related sequences.
The DOPPCR technique involves several steps. First, the degenerate primers are hybridized to the DNA template under low-stringency conditions. Then, the primer-template complex is extended by a DNA polymerase enzyme, forming a complementary DNA strand. This single-stranded DNA serves as a template for further amplification using regular PCR cycles, resulting in an exponential increase in the quantity of the target DNA sequence.
DOPPCR has found various applications in molecular biology, including the identification and characterization of genetic variations, the study of microbial diversity, and the detection of rare genetic variants. Its ability to amplify diverse DNA sequences in a targeted and efficient manner has made it an indispensable tool in genomics research and diagnostic applications.