Tuning PCR Specificity by Chemically Modified Primer Probes

Increased selectivity in PCR! Robust systems that allow the direct detection of single nucleotide variations through PCR methods will be increasingly important for rapid comparative genome analysis or mutation detection. Primer probes bearing supplemental chemical modifications (R=vinyl) significantly increase the selectivity of PCR compared to unmodified probes (R=H), even when the target sequences differ in only one nucleotide (see picture).