Zero Blunt™ TOPO™ PCR Cloning Kit, with pCR™-Blunt II-TOPO™ Vector, One Shot™ TOP10 Chemically Competent E. coli, and PureLink™ Quick Plasmid Miniprep Kit - FAQs

What is the difference between the pCR2.1-TOPO and pCR4-TOPO vectors?

The vector backbones for both of these vectors are very similar. The main difference is that the pCR4-TOPO vector has sequencing primer sites located as close as 33 base pairs from the PCR product insertion site. This minimizes the amount of vector DNA sequence that needs to be read before reaching the sequence of the insert, making the pCR4-TOPO vector very useful for sequencing applications.

What is the difference between the pCR2.1-TOPO and pCRII-TOPO vectors?

The vector backbones for both of these vectors are very similar. The main difference is that the pCRII-TOPO vector is a dual promoter vector, containing the SP6 and T7 promoters for in vitro transcription/sequencing, whereas the pCR2.1-TOPO vector contains only the T7 promoter for in vitro transcription/sequencing. Both vectors contain the M13 Forward and Reverse primer sites for sequencing or PCR screening.

Your TOPO cloning kits contain a control template and control primers. Can I obtain the sequence of the control template?

The sequence of the control template is proprietary.

What PCR enzyme would you recommend for use with the Directional TOPO Cloning Kits?

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.

Can I use the pCR-Blunt or pCR-Blunt-TOPO vector to clone PCR products amplified with Taq DNA polymerase?

No you cannot use pCR-Blunt or pCR-Blunt-TOPO vector to clone PCR products amplified with Taq DNA polymerase. The pCR-Blunt vector is prepared with blunt ends to accept blunt-ended fragments. Due to the terminal transferase activity of Taq DNA polymerase, PCR products amplified with this enzyme have 3'-A overhangs. In order to clone these products into pCR-Blunt, you would need to polish the ends to make them blunt (which usually is not an efficient process). Our TA Cloning Kits or TOPO TA Cloning kits are a better choice for cloning Taq-generated PCR products. TA Cloning kits include a linearized vector with 3'-T overhangs for efficient ligation of Taq-generated PCR products without additional manipulation.

What are the melting temperatures for the M13 Forward (-20) and M13 Reverse primers in the TOPO Cloning and Zero Blunt Kits?

Assuming that the primer is at a 50 nM final concentration and 50 mM final salt concentration, the melting temperatures are: M13 Forward (-20) Primer = 52.7 and the M13 Reverse Primer = 45.3. For use in the control PCR reaction we recommend using an annealing temperature of 56C.

Can TOPO TA cloning vectors and Zero Blunt cloning vectors be used for in vitro transcription to generate probes? Can they be used to do in vitro translation?

Yes, the TOPO TA cloning and Zero Blunt cloning vectors can be used for in vitro transcription. The T7, SP6, and T3 promoters contained in these vectors are active phage promoters, and the corresponding polymerases will transcribe RNA from these promoters.
These vectors are not generally recommended for in vitro translation because most of these vectors contain one or more translational initiation signals (ATG) downstream (3’) of the promoters contained in them, within the multiple cloning sites, which may interfere with attempts to translate an open reading frame in the insert.