QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Kit

The QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Kit combines the high performance of HotStarTaq Plus DNA Polymerase with a significantly shortened PCR cycling time on any thermal cycler. Unlike other fast-cycling chemistries, which often result in amplification failure, HotStarTaq Plus DNA Polymerase in combination with the QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Buffer, promotes specific primer–template annealing and simultaneously reduces nonspecific annealing (see figure "Specific and reliable results"). Amplification of nonspecific products, primer dimer formation, and background smear are minimized in every PCR cycle. Time savings of up to 75% can be achieved using a novel, proprietary PCR buffer formulation. PCR cycling times can be reduced from over 1 hour (for 35 cycles) to less than 20 minutes. Fast-ramping cyclers can achieve a total PCR time of just 30 minutes (see figure "Time savings of up to 75%"). Suboptimal PCR can be improved with Q-Solution, a novel additive also provided with the kit.

The QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Kit is provided in a master mix format, which includes all of the components necessary for fast and specific amplification on every cycler (see table). PCR products obtained from genomic DNA and cDNA, including complex templates, up to 3.5 kb can be reliably amplified. High specificity is ensured due to HotStarTaq Plus DNA Polymerase. Significant time savings of up to 75% can be achieved using a novel, proprietary PCR buffer formulation that significantly reduces the time required to form the polymerase, primer, and template complex. This allows the polymerase to extend the primers during the PCR annealing step thereby dramatically reducing the duration of annealing steps in every PCR cycle. PCR cycling times can be reduced from over 1 hour (for 35 cycles) to less than 20 minutes (see figure "Significant time savings"). Fast-ramping cyclers can achieve a total PCR time of just 30 minutes (see figure "Time savings of up to 75%").

Everything required for reliable fast-cycling PCR

Kit component	Features
HotStarTaq Plus DNA Polymerase	Highly specific products ( up to 3.5 kb)  High sensitivity  Room-temperature setup
Fast Cycling PCR Buffer (including Q-Bond Molecule)	High speed  Minimal optimization required
CoralLoad Dye	Immediate gel-loading of PCR productsImproved pipetting visualization
Q-Solution	Facilitates amplification of GC-rich templates
QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Master Mix	Convenient and fast reaction setup

High specificity and sensitivity

HotStarTaq Plus DNA Polymerase, provided in the master mix, ensures unrivaled hot-start PCR performance. HotStarTaq Plus DNA Polymerase is provided in an inactive state with no polymerase activity at ambient temperatures. This prevents the formation of misprimed products and primer dimers at low temperatures (see figure "Specific and reliable results") and also enables convenient room-temperature reaction setup. HotStarTaq Plus DNA Polymerase is activated by a short 5-minute incubation at 95°C which can be easily incorporated into any existing thermal-cycler program.    

Unique fast-cycling PCR buffer

Novel Fast Cycling PCR Buffer facilitates amplification of specific PCR products with significantly reduced cycling time. Based on the original QIAGEN PCR Buffer, this new formulation enables a high ratio of specific-to-nonspecific primer binding during the short annealing step of every PCR cycle. Owing to a uniquely balanced combination of KCl and (NH₄)₂SO₄, the PCR buffer provides stringent primer-annealing conditions over a wider range of annealing temperatures and Mg²⁺ concentrations than conventional PCR buffers. Optimization of PCR by varying the annealing temperature or the Mg²⁺ concentration is dramatically reduced and often not required.

The innovative fast-cycling buffer also contains the novel Q-Bond Molecule, which dramatically increases the binding affinity of DNA polymerase to single-stranded DNA, thereby facilitating the reduction of annealing time to just 5 seconds (see figure "Mechanism of fast cycling during annealing"). The unique buffer formulation and optimized DNA polymerase concentration also enables a significant reduction in the denaturation and extension times. Fast Cycling PCR Buffer has been developed to eliminate the need for optimization of individual primer–template systems, resulting time and cost savings. Specific amplification is maintained over a wide range of temperatures and Mg²⁺ concentrations, without the need for time-consuming optimization.

CoralLoad Dye

The QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Kit is supplied with CoralLoad Dye, which enables direct loading of the reaction onto an agarose gel without the need to add a gel-loading buffer (see figure "Ready-to-load PCR reactions"). CoralLoad Dye contains two marker dyes — an orange dye and a red dye — that facilitate estimation of DNA migration distance and optimization of agarose gel run time. The dye ensures improved pipetting visibility and enables direct loading of PCR products onto a gel for enhanced convenience.

Q-Solution

The QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Kit also provides Q-Solution, an innovative PCR additive that facilitates amplification of difficult templates by modifying the melting behavior of DNA. This unique reagent improves suboptimal PCR caused by templates that have a high degree of secondary structure or GC-rich templates. Unlike other commonly used PCR additives such as DMSO, Q-Solution is used at just one working concentration, is nontoxic, and PCR purity is guaranteed.

The QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Kit is supplied in a convenient master mix format for maximum ease of use. HotStarTaq Plus DNA Polymerase is activated by a 5-minute, 95°C incubation step, which can easily be incorporated into existing thermal cycling programs. Room-temperature reaction setup using the master mix is fast and easy. Pipetting steps are minimized, reducing the possibility of errors and contamination, and ensuring increased throughput and reproducibility. The kit includes a streamlined, optimized protocol for fast and easy PCR setup. CoralLoad Dye, also provided with the kit, ensures improved pipetting visibility and enables direct loading of PCR products onto a gel for enhanced convenience.

PCR cycling times can be reduced from over 1 hour (for 35 cycles) to less than 20 minutes (see figure "Significant time savings" and table "PCR cycling times for different fragment lengths"). Fast-ramping cyclers can achieve a total PCR time of just 30 minutes (see figure "Time savings of up to 75%"). The time savings afforded by the QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Kit make it highly suitable for increased PCR throughput — purchase of additional and expensive lab equipment is not required.

Significant time savings

The QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Kit allows increased PCR throughput using existing lab equipment. It can be used with any thermal cycler, including fast ramping cyclers, without loss of specificity (see figure "Time savings of up to 75% "). In addition, unlike other PCR chemistries, there is no need to modify or change primers or annealing temperatures. Each kit component has been specifically designed to provide convenient and reliable fast-cycling PCR (see figure "Easy and convenient procedure" and see table).

PCR cycling times for different fragment lengths

Fragment length (bp)	QIAGEN Fast Cycling procedure (min)	Standard cycling procedure (min)	Time savings (%)
200	15	68	78
500	20	68	71
1000	29	85	66
3000	63	155	59

The QIAGEN Fast Cycling PCR Kit enables increased PCR throughput on any thermal cycler and is suitable for highly sensitive and specific PCR, as well as general PCR, and for use with complex genomic and cDNA templates. The kit highly suited for use with standard, as well as fast-ramping thermal cyclers.