Polyplus Transfection - jetPRIME™ DNA Transfection Reagent

jetPRIME™ is a novel non-liposomal reagent based on Polyplus’ cutting edge delivery technology. It ensures effective and reproducible DNA transfection into mammalian cell lines such as HeLa, HEK-293 and CHO cells. jetPRIME™ shows very low toxicity as it only requires low amounts of DNA for optimal transfection.

Samples are available
Please contact our Technical Support Department for more information

Special Offer
For a limited time, take advantage of introductory pricing on jetPRIME™ reagents - Click here for details.

Dualsystems Biotech - DUALmembrane Starter Kits
Find novel interacting partners for any kind of membrane protein.

The DUALmembrane kit is a yeast-based screening system is based on the split-ubiquitin assay, removing the need for interacting proteins to be located inside the nucleus.

Trevigen - CometAssay™ Electrophoresis Starter Kit with Power Supply

The comet assay is the only direct method for the detection of DNA damage in cells. It is used in cancer research, in genotoxicity studies on environmental mutagens, and for screening compounds for cancer therapeutics. The comet assay can be variable depending on temperature, distance between electrodes, and buffer height. The CometAssay™ Electrophoresis System is the first standardized electrophoresis system specifically designed for the CometAssay™. The starter kit is now available with a Power Supply.

Promotions

Polyplus Transfection - Special Introductory Pricing on jetPRIME™ DNA Transfection Reagent

jetPRIME™ is a novel non-liposomal reagent based on Polyplus’ cutting edge delivery technology. It ensures effective and reproducible DNA transfection into mammalian cell lines such as HeLa, HEK-293 and CHO cells. jetPRIME™ shows very low toxicity as it only requires low amounts of DNA for optimal transfection.

For a limited time, take advantage of introductory prices.
Click here for pricing details.
Offer valid until April 30th, 2009

Abgent - 25% OFF Stem Cell Antibodies

Abgent has developed an extensive collection of stem cell antibodies, including popular targets such as AC133, ALDH, Oct4, c-KIT, and NANOG, as well as emerging targets from the latest cutting edge research.

For the month of February 2009, Save 25% OFF Stem Cell Antibodies.
Click here for promotion details.

The first 10 customers who order AthenaES® products from ^MJSBioLynx will receive a free AthenaES® T-Shirt.

Click here for promotion detail

Offer valid until March 31, 2009 or while quantities last
Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts

Active Motif - Order ChIP-IT™ Express HT and Receive a FREE MAG-96 Magnetic Stand

ChIP-IT™ Express HT allows you to perform chromatin IP in a fast, reproducible high-throughput format. It combines the efficiency of the groundbreaking magnetic bead-based ChIP-IT™ Express Kit with a 96-well plate format, enabling the rapid and efficient processing of a large number of ChIP reactions.

This offer is available while quantities last

Click here for promotion details

Technical Report

HotStart-IT®: A Novel Hot Start PCR Method Based on Primer Sequestration
By USB Corporation

Introduction
A common problem with the polymerase chain reaction is the formation of non-specific products, especially primerdimers.These unwanted products interfere with generatingthe desired amplicons. A major cause for this lack of specificity occurs during reaction set-up and before the initial denaturation step. At these lower temperatures before denaturation, primers can bind to non-target sequences with incomplete homology, such as other primers(1). These nonspecific hybrids can be extended by the polymerase, even at lower temperatures, which creates competing targets during subsequent PCR cycling (e.g. primer-dimers). Hotstart PCR methods provide a solution to this lack of specificity by reducing or eliminating non-specific product formation before high-temperature cycling(2).

Current hot start methods target the polymerase by muting its activity before the initial denaturation step, most commonly with a blocking antibody or chemical modification. Problems with these methods are two-fold: 1) the antibody is from hybridoma cells which can contaminate reactions with mammalian DNA; and 2) removal of the chemical blocking group on thepolymerase typically requires initial denaturation times of greater than 10 minutes which causes heat-damage to DNA samples. An ideal solution is a hot start method that eliminates the risk of contaminating mammalian nucleic acids while also allowing shorter initial denaturation times.

To address these issues, USB Corporation has developed an alternative hot start strategy called HotStart-IT®. This novel method uses a single-stranded DNA binding protein to sequester primers at lower temperatures, making them unavailable for extension by the polymerase. Following the initial denaturation step, the binding protein is inactivated and the primers are free to participate in the amplification reaction (Fig. 1). This technique solves the problems that arise from other hot start methods because the binding protein is produced in E. coli and is heat-labile so that initial denaturation times are 2 minutes or less. Thus, there is no chance of mammalian genomic DNA contamination and less chance of heat-induced DNA damage. Another advantage is that because the method targets the primers and not the polymerase, it is portable to a variety of thermostable polymerases. USB has demonstrated that the “primersequestration”technique effectively blocks non-specific product formation before thermal-cycling and enhances endpoint and real-time PCR reactions.

Click here to read the complete article