The influence of amplicon length on real-time PCR results

Debode, Frédéric [CRA-W] Marien, Aline [CRA-W] Janssen, Eric [CRA-W] Bragard, Claude [UCL] Berben, Gilbert [CRA-W]

Description of the subject. This paper discusses the influence of amplicon length on real-time PCR results. Objectives. The aim of the experiments was to show that amplicon size has an influence on detection. Method. Tests were performed on genomic and plasmid DNA. Double-dye probes and SYBR® Green were used for detection by real-time PCR. Primers were selected in order to produce fragments with increasing sizes. Experiments dealt with two targets: an endogenous target for soybean (part of the lectin gene) and a transgenic target (junction P35S-CTP of the MON40- 3-2 soybean). Results. The results show that the kinetics of amplification curves evolve as a function of amplicon length, and smaller amplicons yield a higher level of fluorescence for the plateau phase. DNA degradation within the sample as well as the principles of fluorescence acquisition as a function of the chemistry used can also be factors. Conclusions. It was experimentally shown that the observed effect is linked to the suboptimal elongation temperature used in real-time PCR. Detection using SYBR® Green is less impacted as the loss of efficiency is partially compensated by the greater integration of SYBR® Green molecules in the larger fragments.