2
$\begingroup$

Instead of using polymerase Vent exo (-), can I go with the usual Taq polymerase?

Do the PCR conditions change (the temperature and master mix concentrations ) in the these two conditions? Do the primers (sequence and concentrations) change if we use vent exo instead of Taq polymerase and vice versa? If the primers are designed specifically for Vent exo (-) how can I modify the PCR conditions so that I can use the same primers (meant for vent exo) using Taq polymerase?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
2
  • $\begingroup$ Can you describe what you need the PCR for, what your requirements on accuracy and other factors are? $\endgroup$
    – Mad Scientist
    Commented Dec 17, 2012 at 18:34
  • $\begingroup$ SNP detection, using ARMS PCR $\endgroup$
    – SRINIVAS
    Commented Dec 17, 2012 at 18:42

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2
$\begingroup$

I haven't done ARMS PCR myself, so my answer is based on theory and there might be other practical factors I overlooked.

The characteristic feature of the Vent exo(-) polymerase is the lack of exonuclease activity compared to the regular Vent polymerase. ARMS uses the fact that a mismatch at the 3' position prevents primer extension. For this to work it is important to use a polymerase without exonuclease activity, as such a polymerase could "repair" the mismatch and the whole method would not work. Taq polymerase also doesn't have any exonuclease activity, so in theory you should be able to use it for this experiment.

The primers don't have to be changed for different polymerases, the polymerase buffer though is different and I wouldn't recommend using the wrong one.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .