What is "amplicon"

n. A piece of DNA or RNA formed as the products of natural or artificial amplification events, as in a polymerase chain reaction.

An amplicon is a piece of DNA or RNA that is the source and/or product of natural or artificial amplification or replication events. It can be formed using various methods including polymerase chain reactions (PCR), ligase chain reactions (LCR), or natural gene duplication. In this context, " amplification" refers to the production of one or more copies of a genetic fragment or target sequence, specifically the amplicon. As the product of an amplification reaction, amplicon is used interchangeably with common laboratory terms, such as PCR product.

Artificial amplification is used in research, forensics, and medicine for purposes that include detection and quantification of infectious agents, identification of human remains, and extracting genotypes from human hair.

Natural gene duplication is implicated in several forms of human cancer including primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma and Hodgkin's lymphoma. Amplicons in this context can refer both to sections of chromosomal DNA that have been excised, amplified, and reinserted elsewhere in the genome, and to extrachromasomal DNA known as double minutes, each of which can be composed of one or more genes. Amplification of the genes encoded by these amplicons generally increases transcription of those genes and ultimately the volume of associated proteins.