Figure 3.

Real-time PCR detection of the β2-Macroglobulin target sequence in Taqman (open circle) and Snake (filled circle) assays using 22-mer (A) and 15-mer (B) FRET probes. Regular forward and reverse primers were used in Taqman, whereas the Snake system utilized its own forward primers identified in the charts by the length of 5′-flap sequences, i.e. 8-, 10- and 14-mers. The structures of the primers and FRET probes used in these experiments are shown in Figure 1. The experiments were performed with the standard reaction composition, component concentrations and PCR time/temperature profile described in ‘Materials and Methods’ section.