Effects of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube on Polymerase Chain Reaction

摘要

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a complicated gene amplification process using Mg~(2+) as an assistant factor of Taq enzyme. Influence of single-walled carbon nanotube on that reaction was investigated with scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and quantitative PCR product analysis. Results showed that adding single-walled carbon nanotubes in the reaction liquid with a concentration of less than 3 μg/μl increase the amounts of PCR products. But more carbon nanotubes cause a great reduction of the PCR products. Similar effects were observed in the reaction without Mg~(2+). Possible reason could be the aggregation of reaction components caused by small amount of additive carbon nanotubes, which increases reaction probability. Our observations suggest that small amount of carbon nanotube could be used as an assistant factor to improve the PCR reaction.