Product ReviewsInvitrogen PCRx Enhancer System PCR of GC-rich templates The PCRx Enhancer system from Invitrogen is one of many "magic" cocktail solutions available on the market and designed to improve yields of "difficult" regions (primarily GC-rich regions that are notoriously hard to amplify). In a nutshell, this stuff works. Invitrogen is cagey about its contents, but the MSDS sheet indicates it contains L-proline as its only potentially hazardous ingredient, presumably implying that it contains no DMSO or other solvents often found in such cocktails. Nevertheless, this stuff really is the "magic bullet" for difficult PCR reactions. Our scientists tried it and found it works even in lower concentrations than suggested, on regions that would not amplify without it. Further, we were able to use "standard" PCR conditions instead of "touch-down" PCR for some tricky regions, when we included PCRx. The reagent is sold in kits with Invitrogen's Taq polymerases, or on its own. Our experience suggests that it works fine with a wide variety of polymerases. We bought only the PCRx reagent itself and have been happy with it since. It's cheap, works like a charm, and requires almost no effort to include it in a PCR reaction. An example of a reagent that works exactly as advertised, straight out of the box, with no trouble at all. Highly recommended. Review by rwintle |
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