Should PCR primers be complementary to each other?

Posted June 22, 2020

Answer

NO! The two primers used in PCR should not be complementary, or they will anneal to each other and form a “primer dimer”. If a primer dimer is present in the PCR reaction, DNA polymerase could amplify the primer dimer, which consumes PCR reagents and potentially inhibits the amplification of target DNA.

Additional resources

Helixyte™ Green *20X Aqueous PCR Solution*

6-ROX glycine *25 uM fluorescence reference solution for PCR reactions*

Chen, S. C., Halliday, C. L., & Meyer, W. (2002). A review of nucleic acid-based diagnostic tests for systemic mycoses with an emphasis on polymerase chain reaction-based assays. Medical mycology, 40(4), 333-357.

Chuang, L. Y., Cheng, Y. H., & Yang, C. H. (2013). Specific primer design for the polymerase chain reaction. Biotechnology letters, 35(10), 1541-1549.