Restriction Enzyme Buffer Set - FAQs

How many degenerate sites are allowed in a 25-mer present at a total concentration of 1 micromolar (100 pmoles/100 mL)?

Primer mixtures with 256-fold and 32-fold degeneracies have been used [see Mack DH, Sninsky JJ (1988) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 85:6977-6981 and Lee et al. (1988) Science 239:1288-1291.] We recommend that users synthesize pools of no more than 32- to 64-fold degenerate primers, making additional pools separately to account for all possible degeneracy. A matrix should be set up so that degeneracy is no more than 2-fold at each site, with all sites in the matrix run at the same time. Inosine may also be used for the degenerate positions in the primer. Performing touchdown PCR may help increase the specificity of degenerate primer PCR amplification.