What is the main characteristic of isothermal amplification procedures?

Isothermal amplification procedures are characterized by being conducted at a constant temperature after the initial denaturation step. This is foundational to the technology, as it allows the amplification of nucleic acids without the need for the temperature cycling that is typical in methods like PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction).

The constant temperature is crucial because it enables the use of specific enzymes that function optimally at that temperature, which facilitates the rapid and efficient amplification of DNA or RNA. Techniques such as LAMP (Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification) and RPA (Recombinase Polymerase Amplification) exemplify this methodology, employing specialized primers and polymerases that produce high yields of nucleic acid at a fixed temperature, significantly simplifying the amplification process and reducing the risk of contamination between cycles.

Isothermal amplification is particularly advantageous in point-of-care settings and environments where sophisticated thermal cyclers are unavailable, making this characteristic a pivotal aspect of its application in molecular biology.