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Should PCR primers be complementary to each other?
Posted June 22, 2020
Answer
NO! The two primers used in PCR should not be complementary, or they will anneal to each other and form a “primer dimer”. If a primer dimer is present in the PCR reaction, DNA polymerase could amplify the primer dimer, which consumes PCR reagents and potentially inhibits the amplification of target DNA.
Additional resources
Cyber Green™ [Equivalent to SYBR® Green] *20X Aqueous PCR Solution*
6-ROX glycine *25 uM fluorescence reference solution for PCR reactions*