PCR Techniques · Pathology

Which of the following is a common cause of 'primer dimer' formation in a PCR reaction?

Using an annealing temperature that is too high
Primer sequences with 3'-end complementarity
High concentration of template DNA
Prolonged denaturation steps at 95°C

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Correct answer: Primer sequences with 3'-end complementarity

Primer dimers occur when primers hybridize to each other rather than the template DNA. This is often due to sequence complementarity at the 3' ends, allowing the polymerase to extend the primers themselves.

Difficulty: Medium Question 7 of 20

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Which of the following is a common cause of 'primer dimer' formation in a PCR reaction?

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