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How do I calibrate my instrument for the CAL Fluor® and Quasar® Dyes?

CAL Fluor® and Quasar® dye calibration standards are designed to improve the accuracy of signal detection in real-time thermal cyclers that require spectral calibration. They enable the instrument to store the fluorescence profile of each dye and control for channel cross-talk. Crosstalk is the bleed-through of fluorescent signal from a reporter into an adjacent filter or channel, an issue of particular concern in a multiplexed assay. Many qPCR machines are pre-calibrated for Cy™3 and Cy5 dyes. In those machines, no calibration is necessary to use our Quasar 570 (Cy3 alternative) and Quasar 670 (Cy5 alternative) dyes. To use our CAL Fluor dye labels, particularly in a multiplexing assay, certain real-time PCR instruments need to be calibrated to anticipate crosstalk. LGC Biosearch Technologies does not make available pure dyes. Instead, our calibration standards are formulated to better mimic a fluorescent probe under experimental conditions by covalently linking the dye to an oligo-thymidine (dT10).  A complete list of available Calibration and Reference Dyes is available through our website. Instructions to calibrate select qPCR machines are available in our Spectral Calibration Instructions.

How do you determine the brightness of a dye?

The absolute intensity of a dye is a product of the extinction coefficient and the quantum yield. We have not measured the quantum yield for our dyes as this value is highly dependent upon the local environment, including the buffer system used for the measurement. However, we do provide the extinction coefficients for dye modifications at their lambda max wavelength, and these values are available under the Technical Specs tabs of our Oligo Modifications webpages. While quantum yield and extinction coefficients both contribute to dye detectability, the principal determinant for Stellaris® RNA FISH assays is actually the instrument optics, including the excitation source, available filters, and quantum efficiency of the camera.

Are there any limitations on the types of fluorescent reporter molecules I can use with BHQ Probe Master Mix?

BHQ-001

All fluorescent dyes listed on our Fluorophore and BHQ Selection Chart are available for use with BHQ Probe Master Mix, in which the corresponding BHQ dye has been identified.

Does Amp-Seq provide data analysis software to generate genotype calls?

AMPSEQ-001
Biosearch Technologies provides an analysis pipeline (the BiosearchCaller software), compatible with the Amp-Seq technology, to produce genotypes from the sequencing data. The software can be accessed via a cloud system and our technical team will support the deployment and initial setup.

Why are genotype calls not achieved for specific targets?

AMPSEQ-001
Sometimes, despite a successful primer design for a target, genotyping calls are not achieved for a specific target. This can be caused by several issues including poor primer design and issues with the synthesis of the primers. In addition, if genomic reference data for both parental strains is not provided for target primer design, some primer pairs might not work for all F1 samples. Missing genotypes are generally attributed to low depth. Certain targets cannot be amplified because of sample quality issues or unknown parental bias in the genomes. Our standard design process addresses the parental bias by avoiding primers on known variability in the genome. Known variation information can be provided to us in the target flanking sequences through the Data Submission form.

Should I use electrocompetent or chemically competent cells to make my library?

We recommend using electrocompetent cells for library generation, because the transformation efficiency for electrocompetent cells is higher. Higher transformation efficiency preserves library diversity.

Are there any limitations on the types of fluorescent reporter molecules I can use with RapiDxFire qPCR 5X Master Mix GF?

PCRAMP-012

All fluorescent dyes listed on our Fluorophore and BHQ Selection Chart are available for use with RapiDxFire qPCR 5X Master Mix GF, in which the corresponding BHQ dye has been identified.

What if I don’t have a fluorimeter? How else can I monitor the reaction?

Amplified products can also be monitored by viewing the reaction on an agarose gel or by measuring the turbidity of the reaction at OD600.

Which instruments can be used to monitor the real-time fluorescent assays?

Basically, any instrument capable of maintaining stable reaction temperatures and detecting fluorescence in the FAM (fluorescein) channel will work.

Are there specific recommendations for performing 1-step RT-qPCR on RNA isolated from clinical samples?

PCRAMP-021

The nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) will most likely need to be purified from clinical samples due to sample/transport media specific inhibitors and RNAses. For example, for RNA purification, we recommend our sbeadex‚Ñ¢ Pathogen Nucleic Acid Purification Kit for optimal purification.