Effects of Quantum Dots in Polymerase Chain Reaction

Abstract

The effects of quantum dots (QDs) on the elimination of nonspecific amplification of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were investigated. It was found that QDs could increase the specificity of the PCR at different annealing temperatures and with DNA templates of different lengths. The effects of QDs on the efficiency of the PCR were also studied, and the results showed that there was no enhancement. The mechanisms underlying these effects are discussed. This method could be used to modify the amplification results of the conventional PCR. Furthermore, this technology could make the PCR more widely applicable, especially in the multi-PCR reaction system with different annealing temperatures. This is of great significance for gene diagnosis.

Enhancing the specificity of polymerase chain reaction by graphene oxide through surface modification: zwitterionic polymer is superior to other polymers with different charges

“…[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Nanomaterials often possess unique physical and chemical properties, eg, surface effect arising from their large surfaceto-volume ratio, which differ greatly from macroscopic materials. The effect of nanomaterials on PCR mainly depends on the strong interaction between PCR components and nanomaterials.…”

Quantum dots trigger hot-start effects for pfu-based polymerase chain reaction

“…Recently, QDs have been used as additives to improve PCR yield and specificity [36][37][38][39][40]. To the best of our knowledge, nanoparticles as HS PCR reagents was already reported on the gold nanoparticle [41], while QDs used as a tool for HS PCR amplification have not been reported.…”

CdTe quantum dots accelerate the speed of Pfu-based polymerase chain reaction

“…[8,9] Recently, QDs have been used as additives to improve PCR yield and specificity. [10][11][12][13][14][15] Furthermore, QDs demonstrated very obvious hot-start features similar to those of commercial hot-start polymerase. [16,17] This report described a simple/economical, fast PCR based on the modifications of the cycling conditions with the help of cadmium telluride (CdTe) QDs.…”