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View additional product information for AccuPrime™ Pfx DNA Polymerase - FAQs (12344032, 12344024)
45 product FAQs found
Oligos should be run on a polyacrylamide gel containing 7 M urea and loaded with a 50% formamide solution to avoid compressions and secondary structures. Oligos of the same length and different compositions can electrophorese differently. dC's migrate fastest, followed by dA's, dT's, and then dG's. Oligos containing N's tend to run as a blurry band and generally have a problem with secondary structure.
Primers should be aliquoted for single use before PCR set-up. Heat just the aliquoted primers to 94 degrees for 1 min. Quick chill the primer on ice before adding to the PCR reaction. Some primers may anneal to themselves or curl up on themselves.
The drying method dries the primer in a thin layer along the sidewalls of the tube instead of the bottom, therefore a pellet is not always visible and should still be ready to use.
If the oligo was overheated, it will appear as a “ball”-shaped pellet attached to the bottom of the tube. This should not affect the quality of the oligo, and the oligo should be readily soluble in water.
If an oligo appears green in color, this is most likely due to ink falling into the tube. The oligo should still be fully functional. The color can be removed by doing an ethanol precipitation.
Most of the time the color should not affect PCR or any other experimental application since typically it is caused by the iodine used in the synthesis. There are some exceptions, however. Brown oligos can also be caused by the primer being overdried, and if this is the case, the primer may not work.
If detritylation occurs inappropriately and/or if the synthesizer has an error and delivers the wrong base, an extra inserted base can occur in your primer. Please contact techsupport@thermofisher.com for assistance.
There are two possibilities that could occur in any round of extension when creating your primer:
1.The added base is not detritylated correctly, missing one base addition but allowing possible extension in the next round.
2.The trityl group was removed, but not coupled or capped correctly before addition of the next base, allowing the chain to continue.
Better purification of the oligos is recommended to provide you with full-length oligo sequence. Adding restriction sites adds on 10 or more bases to the basic 20-25-mer, making primers longer than 30 bases with a relatively low percentage of full-length sequences after desalting. Additionally, failure sequences occur at the 5' end of the sequence as oligos are generated from 3' to 5' end. Therefore, restriction sites introduced at the 5' end of primers can be compromised, resulting in missing bases.
The oligo may not have been fully solubilized. After addition of TE buffer, make sure the oligo was vortexed for a full 30 seconds and/or pipette up and down more than 10 times. Primers may be present along the sides of the tubs, so when resuspending the oligo, the sides of the tubes should be “rinsed” too.
The scale that is ordered refers to the starting synthesis scale, or amount of starting material used to create your oligo. Based on purification and efficiency, you will receive less than the starting synthesis scale. However, we do have a minimum yield guarantee based on the starting synthesis scale which can be found here: https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/products-and-services/product-types/primers-oligos-nucleotides/invitrogen-custom-dna-oligos/oligo-ordering-details/oligo-minimum-yield-guarantee.html.
This artifact occurs when either too many cycles were performed or too much DNA is added to the reaction. Try heating to 65 degrees C and putting sample on ice before loading.
Please see the following possibilities and suggestions we have:
-Primer design: try longer primers to avoid binding at alternative sites, avoid 3 consecutive G or C nucleotides at the 3' end.
-Annealing temperature: increase annealing temperature to increase specificity.
-Mg2+ concentration: try a lower concentration.
-DNA contamination: use aerosol tips and separate work area to avoid contamination, use UNG/UDG technique to prevent carryover.
Here are some reasons why your PCR experiment may be failing:
-NaCl at 50 mM will inhibit the enzyme.
-Too much KCl in the reaction. Do not exceed 50 mM.
-Incorrect annealing temperature was used.
-Incomplete denaturation (time and temperature must be long and high enough).
-Template had long runs of GC's [Woodford et al. (1995) Nucleic Acids Res 23:539 show that by eliminating all potassium from the amplification reactions, GC-rich regions in templates are sufficiently destabilized to allow PCR].
-10% DMSO partially inhibits Taq.
-Hemin (in blood samples) inhibits Taq.
-Use of super-irradiated (treated with >2500 mJ/cm2) mineral oil will either inhibit or decrease yield of PCR product [Dohner (1995) Biotechniques 18:964].
-Do not use a wooden toothpick to pick colonies or scoop out DNA from a gel prior to PCR. It has been reported that this technique can inhibit PCR [Lee (1995) BioTechniques 18:225].
-Other inhibitors of Taq DNA polymerase were present (e.g., indigo dyes, heme). Add BSA to the PCR, increase the amount of Taq, and/or increase the volume of the PCR to dilute out them inhibitor.
Please see our suggestions below to increase yield:
-Do not use a wooden toothpick to pick colonies or scoop out DNA from a gel prior to PCR. It has been reported that this technique can inhibit PCR. [Lee (1995) BioTechniques 18:225].
-Not enough enzyme was used.
-Denaturation/extension temperature was too high and enzyme died prematurely.
-Too much DMSO (>10%).
-Incorrect annealing temperature: run a series of reactions using different annealing temperatures, starting 5 degrees below the calculated Tm.
-Too few cycles.
-Insufficient or too much Mg2+.
-Poorly designed primers: double check primer sequence against template sequence, primers should have similar melting temperatures, avoid complementary sequences at the 3' end of primers.
-Carryover inhibitors (e.g., blood, serum).
-Denaturation time was too short. Genomic and viral DNA can require denaturation times of 10 minutes.
-Not a long enough extension time was used depending on the size of product being amplified.
-Use of super-irradiated (treated with >2500 mj/cm2) mineral oil will either inhibit or decrease yield of PCR product [Dohner (1995) Biotechniques 18:964].
-Template had long runs of GC's [Woodford et al. (1995) Nucleic Acids Res 23:539 show that by eliminating all potassium from the amplification reactions, GC-rich regions in templates are sufficiently destabilized to allow PCR]. Alternatively, a combination of 1.0 M betaine with 6-8% DMSO or 5% DMSO with 1.2-1.8 M betaine can be used to amplify GC-rich templates [Baskaran (1996) Genome Res 6:633].
-Other inhibitors of Taq DNA polymerase were present (e.g., indigo dyes, heme, melanin, etc.). Add BSA to the PCR (~160-600 µg/mL), increase the amount of Taq, and/or increase the volume of the PCR to dilute out the inhibitor. The concentration of BSA to add may be dependent on the amount and type of inhibitor present. Additionally, fatty acid-free, alcohol-precipitated BSA, or Fraction V BSA all should be effective.
Please see some reasons below for seeing smearing:
-The enzyme, primer, Mg2+, and/or dNTP concentration was too high.
-The annealing temperature was too low for the primers being used.
-Too many cycles were used.
-The annealing and extension times were too long.
-Bad or old primers.
-Too much template was used initially, try to start with 104-106 molecules
-Consider using additives or PCR Optimizer Kit (Cat. No. K122001), especially if you feel strongly that the primers should work/have worked before and are using Taq.
No, we do not guarantee 50/50 of mixed bases. If a mix of GC bases is requested, for example, the synthesizer would deliver half the normal amount of G and half the normal amount of C. Coupling efficiency is not taken into account. Therefore, it is possible that a mix, such as 30/70, will be delivered.
For 25, 50, and 200 nmol desalted and cartridge-purified DNA oligos, there is 100% A260 analysis. Random samples of 25% of the oligos produced are tested by either capillary electrophoresis or mass spectrometry. DNA oligos that are desalted and ordered at 25 and 50 nmol scales also have 100% real-time digital trityl monitoring during analysis. Desalted DNA oligos ordered at 1 and 10 µmols, DNA oligos at any scale that are purified by HPLC and PAGE, the majority of the DNA oligos with 3' and/or 5' modifications, and RNA oligos have 100% A260 analysis and capillary electrophoresis or mass spectrometry.
The plate orders must contain an average of 24 or more oligos per plate for 96-well plates or 192 or more oligos per plate for 384-well plates across the entire order.
Tm values are not absolute - they are an approximation of the melting temperature range which exists. A thermal profile for a given oligo shows a 10-15 degree range of melting depending on the amount of salt but also on the base composition and concentration of primer in the reaction which are not precisely defined. One should not rely solely on the given Tm value as the only one that will work. Tm is the temperature at which 50% of the primer and its complementary sequence are present in a duplex DNA molecule. The Tm is necessary to establish an annealing temperature for PCR. Reasonable annealing temperatures range from 55 degrees C to 70 degrees C. Annealing temperatures are generally about 5 degrees C below the Tm of the primers. Since most formulas provide an estimated Tm value, the annealing temperature is only a starting point. Specificity for PCR can be increased by analyzing several reactions with increasingly higher annealing temperatures.
As oligos increase in length, the column purification is less effective in separating the failure oligos from the correct products. PAGE purification would be the method of choice in this case.
Value Oligos are the most cost-effective and fastest way to order oligos. They are available for 5-40-mers, at a 25 or 50 nanomole scale, with a range of purification options to suit your needs, and are eligible for next-day delivery. The cost is calculated per oligo as opposed to per base. Value Oligos are not available with modifications. Value Oligos undergo the same QC standards as our standard oligos with the same manufacturing process.
A common equation used to calculate primer Tm is as follows: Tm (in degrees C) = 2 (A+ T) + 4 (G + C)
Please take a look at this list (https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/products-and-services/product-types/primers-oligos-nucleotides/invitrogen-custom-dna-oligos/oligo-ordering-details/oligo-modification-options.html) of standard modification options that we offer. If you do not see the modification option you would like, please email our Technical Support team at techsupport@thermofisher.com to see if we can accommodate your request.
The percentage of full-length oligonucleotide depends on the coupling efficiency of the chemical synthesis. The average efficiency is close to 99%. To calculate the percentage of full-length oligonucleotide, use the formula: 0.99n-1. Therefore, 79% of the oligonucleotide molecules in the tube are 25-bases long; the rest are <25 bases. If you are concerned about starting with a preparation of oligonucleotide that is full-length you may want to consider cartridge, PAGE, or HPLC purification.
Coupling efficiency is important as the effects are cumulative during DNA synthesis. The numbers below shows the effect of a 1% difference in coupling efficiency and how this influences the amount of full-length product available following synthesis of different length oligos. Even with a relatively short oligo of 20 bases, a 1% difference in coupling efficiency can mean 15% more of the DNA present following synthesis is full-length product.
Number of bases added, 99% coupling full-length, Failures, 98% coupling full-length, Failures:
- 1, 99, 1, 98, 2
- 2, 98.01, 1.99, 96.04, 2.96
- 3,97.03, 2.97, 94.12, 5.88
- 10, 90.44, 9.56, 81.71, 18.29
- 20, 81.79, 18.21, 66.76, 33.24
- 30, 73.79, 26.03, 54.55, 63.58
- 50, 60.5, 39.5, 36.42, 63.58
- 95, 38.49, 61.51, 14.67, 85.33
The scale of synthesis is the starting point for synthesis, not the guaranteed final amount. We guarantee the total yield of oligonucleotide as a minimum number of OD units. Use this link (https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/products-and-services/product-types/primers-oligos-nucleotides/invitrogen-custom-dna-oligos/oligo-ordering-details/oligo-minimum-yield-guarantee.html) for the minimum yield guarantees we offer for our oligos.
Yes. OligoPerfect Designer can be used to design primers for sequencing, cloning, or detection.
These guidelines may be useful as you design your PCR primers:
- In general, a length of 18-30 nucleotides for primers is good.
- Try to make the melting temperature (Tm) of the primers between 65 degrees C and 75 degrees C, and within 5 degrees C of each other.
- If the Tm of your primer is very low, try to find a sequence with more GC content, or extend the length of the primer a little.
- Aim for the GC content to be between 40 and 60%, with the 3' of a primer ending in C or G to promote binding.
- Typically, 3 to 4 nucleotides are added 5' of the restriction enzyme site in the primer to allow for efficient cutting.
- Try to avoid regions of secondary structure, and have a balanced distribution of GC-rich and AT-rich domains.
- Try to avoid runs of 4 or more of one base, or dinucleotide repeats (for example, ACCCC or ATATATAT).
- Avoid intra-primer homology (more than 3 bases that complement within the primer) or inter-primer homology (forward and reverse primers having complementary sequences). These circumstances can lead to self-dimers or primer-dimers instead of annealing to the desired DNA sequences.
- If you are using the primers for cloning, we recommend cartridge purification as a minimum level of purification.
- If you are using the primers for mutagenesis, try to have the mismatched bases towards the middle of the primer.
- If you are using the primers for a PCR reaction to be used in TOPO cloning, the primers should not have a phosphate modification.
Read more about primer design tips and tools at https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/products-and-services/product-types/primers-oligos-nucleotides/invitrogen-custom-dna-oligos/primer-design-tools.html.
You may choose to do a two-temperature protocol when the annealing temperature is relatively high. In this case, you would combine the annealing and the elongation steps, i.e., both can occur together at a temperature >62 degrees C. The advantage of a two-temperature protocol is that it is considerably quicker in comparison to the conventional three-temperature protocol.
You can try adding 5-10% DMSO, up to 10% glycerol, or 1-2% formamide or a combination of these to facilitate difficult templates. Note: the use of cosolvents will lower the optimal annealing temperatures of your primers.
A GC-rich template often has a higher melting temperature and may not denature completely under the normal reaction conditions.
Hot start is a way to prevent DNA amplification from occurring before you want it to. One way to do this is to set up the PCR reaction on ice, which prevents the DNA polymerase from being active. An easier method is a use a ‘hot-start' enzyme, in which the DNA polymerase is provided in an inactive state until it undergoes a high-heat step.
The main steps are: denaturation, annealing, and extension. The template is typically heated to a high temperature (around 94-95 degrees C) allowing for the double-stranded DNA to denature into single strands. Next, the temperature is lowered to 50-65 degrees C, allowing primers to anneal to their complementary base-pair regions. The temperature is then increased to 72 degrees C, allowing for the polymerase to bind and synthesize a new strand of DNA.
With Platinum technology, anti-DNA polymerase antibodies bind to the enzyme until the denaturing step at 94 degrees C, when the antibodies degrade. The polymerase is now active and primer extension can occur. AccuPrime Taq combines Platinum Taq (Taq + Platinum antibodies) with proprietary thermostable AccuPrime accessory proteins. The 10X reaction buffer contains the accessory proteins which enhance specific primer-template hybridization during each cycle of PCR.
No, your gene of interest must be amplified with a proofreading polymerase such as Platinum SuperFi DNA Polymerase or AccuPrime Pfx DNA Polymerase that leaves blunt ends for directional TOPO cloning.
We recommend using AccuPrime Pfx DNA Polymerase with the GeneArt Site-Directed Mutagenesis kits.
Yes. dUTP inhibits the activity of archaebacterial polymerases such as Pfx DNA Polymerase.
For the Directional TOPO Cloning Vectors, a PCR product must be generated by a proofreading enzyme to create a blunt product. Pfx50 or Accuprime Pfx and Accuprime Pfx Supermix from Thermo Fisher Scientific are recommended for use.
When cloning a Pfx-amplified PCR product, the insert to vector ratio is an important consideration. The PCR product generally needs to be diluted since Pfx generates a high concentration of product and using too much insert DNA can hamper the TOPO reaction. A 1:1 molar ratio of vector to insert (or about 2-10ng of insert) is recommended.
Proofreading enzymes possess 3'-5' exonuclease activity (Gene 112:29 (1992)) which removes 3'-A overhangs necessary for TA and TOPO TA Cloning kit. Since the PCR products are mostly blunt-ended, the use of these PCR products in TA cloning yields very low cloning efficiencies. We have developed a simple protocol for adding the 3' A overhang to these PCR products so that they can be used in the TA cloning reaction.
Before starting, you will need the following items:
-Taq polymerase
-A heat block equilibrated to 72 degrees C
-Phenol-chloroform
-3M sodium acetate
-100% ethanol
-80% ethanol
-TE buffer
Procedure
-After amplification with Vent, Pfx, or other proofreading polymerases, place samples on ice and add 0.7-1 unit of Taq polymerase per tube. Mix well. It is not necessary to change the buffer or remove the proofreading polymerase. A sufficient number of PCR products will retain the 3'-A overhangs.
-Incubate at 72 degrees C for 8-10 min (do not cycle).
-Place on ice and use immediately in the cloning reaction.
-If you need to store the samples overnight, extract the sample immediately with an equal volume of phenol:chloroform. Extraction with phenol-chloroform removes all of the polymerase. Precipitate the DNA by adding 1/10 volume of 3M sodium acetate and 2X volume of 100% ethanol. Keep at -20 degrees C for 20 min or -80 degrees C for 10-15 min. Centrifuge at maximum speed for 5 min at room temperature to pellet the DNA. Remove the ethanol, rinse the pellet with 80% ethanol, and allow to air dry. Resuspend the pellet in TE buffer to the starting volume of the PCR amplification reaction. The PCR amplification product is now ready for ligation into the TA cloning or TOPO TA Cloning vector.
Note: if your amplification has produced more than one PCR product, you may wish to gel-purify the correct fragment after amplification with Pfu or Vent. After purification, add Taq polymerase buffer, dATP, and 0.5 unit of Taq polymerase and incubate 10-15 min at 72 degrees C. Proceed directly to the cloning reaction.
Elongase and Platinum Taq High Fidelity polymerase mixes do leave 3' A overhangs on a portion of the PCR products, however, the cloning efficiency is greatly reduced from that obtained with Taq polymerase alone. Platinum Pfx polymerase does not leave 3' A overhangs. Therefore, with all proofreading enzymes or enzyme mixes that contain proofreading polymerases, we recommend that you treat the PCR product with Taq at the end of the PCR reaction, prior to TA cloning. To do this, add 1 U of Taq to a 50 µL reaction and incubate at 68-72 degrees C for 15 min. Phenol extract and ethanol precipitate the product before TA cloning.
Additional notes: The cloning efficiency decreases with increasing size of PCR products. For larger PCR fragments, we recommend that you gel-purify the PCR product and screen several clones. PCR primers should be designed with a 5' G, since Taq leaves a 3' A overhang preferentially on DNA ending in C.
Reference: Hu (1993) DNA and Cell Biology 12:763.
TA Cloning reference: Mead, D.A., Pey, N.K., Herrnstadt, C., Marcil, R.A., and Smith, L.M. (1991) BioTechnology 9, 657.
To generate amplicons greater than 2 kb, use 2.5 units of Platinum Pfx polymerase (instead of 1 unit), decrease the extension temperature to 68 degrees C, and increase the extension time to 1 kb/minute.
If long PCR primers are used with Platinum Pfx polymerase, increase the magnesium concentration in the reaction to 1.5 mM.
While enzyme mixes offer improved fidelity over Taq DNA Polymerase alone, Platinum Pfx DNA Polymerase provides much higher fidelity since it is a proofreading polymerase exclusively. If yield is more important than fidelity, then an enzyme mix such as Platinum Taq High Fidelity or Elongase enzyme mix is a better choice of enzyme (since they contain a significant amount of Taq in addition to the proofreading polymerase). Platinum Pfx does give high yields relative to other proofreaders, but may not give as great a yield as the enzyme mixes.
Generally, it should. However, the 10X Pfx Amplification buffer is optimized to work with Platinum Pfx DNA Polymerase, so it is important Pfx is not used with buffers meant for other polymerases. Additionally, since the magnesium concentration is lower in the Pfx buffer, the primer annealing temperature may need to be lowered.
The rpsL fidelity assay was used to generate this data. Briefly, a plasmid containing an AmpR and SmS gene was amplified by PCR and religated. Transformations were plated on Amp plates and Amp/Sm plates. The mutant frequency = rpsL mutant colonies/total colonies x 100.
Results from this assay:
Taq: 4.8/100,000
Platinum Pfx: 1/1,000,000
Pfu were 1.5/1,000,000