What is the difference between continuous melt curves and step and hold melt curves on the Applied Biosystems Real-Time PCR Instruments?
Continuous melt curve: increases the temperature by the ramp increment (degrees C/sec) so that the temperature will change at a constant rate set in the protocol. Step and Hold melt curve: increases the temperature by the ramp increment (degrees C) and then holds at that temperature for the time specified by the user.
The amount of data collected will depend on the filter(s) selected. The more filters you use, the longer the acquisition will take and the fewer data points will be collected.