Allele-Specific PCR

Allele-Specific PCR Protocol

Allele-specific PCR is a varation of the polymerase chain reaction which is used as a diagnostic or cloning technique, to identify or utilize single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (single base differences in DNA). Allele-specific PCR does require the sequence of the target DNA sequence, including differences between the alleles.

Primers for Allele-Specific PCR

The allele-specific PCR uses primers whose 3' ends encompass the SNP.

PCR amplification under stringent conditions is much less efficient in the presence of a mismatch between template and primer, so successful amplification with a SNP-specific primer signals presence of the specific SNP in a sequence.