Stupid Question regarding PCR
horton at biosci.cbs.umn.edu
Thu Sep 14 12:07:13 EST 1995
Richard Rohan (rrohan at world.std.com) wrote:
: Sami Kohan <skohan at ucla.edu> wrote:
: >Why is it standard to use DNA oligonucleotides in PCR when in vivo, when
: >DNA is replicating, the polymerase use RNA primers?
: Probably because the chemistry for synthesis of DNA oligos is much easier and
: thus RNA oligos are more expensive or possibly not available when commercial
: PCR was developed. I vaguely recall that in Dupont's "prior art" suit against
: PCR they cited something in the original taq polymerase papers that closely
: resembled PCR except using tRNA primers.
Using RNA primers would require an RNA-dependant DNA polymerase activity
for use in PCR.
RNA is also not very stable when heated in the presence of magnesium.
Does anybody have a reference for the papers mentioned?
Robert M. Horton (PhD!) /\ "Crash programs fail because of the theory that
U of M Dermatology Dept || with nine women pregnant you get a baby a month"
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