Engineered DNA Polymerases

Taking PCR Beyond its Current Limitations

All wild typeTaq DNA polymerases are identical at the amino acid level and performance enhancements are only possible through buffer optimisations e.g. MgCl₂ concentration, pH of Tris or the actual enzyme concentration. Until now, the PCR community has only had access to a few generalist enzymes that have had to suffice, despite an increasing array of specialized and demanding DNA amplification processes. The need for more specialist enzymes is inevitable to ensure maximum benefit from new applications and to push the boundaries of PCR even further.

Engineered DNA Polymerases

Wild type Taq can only do so much but Kapa PCR Enzymes do so much MORE!

Anachem Ltd., (Luton, UK) is delighted to announce that it has been awarded distribution rights for the novel range of engineered DNA polymerases from Kapa Biosystems Ltd., (Woburn, MA USA).

Kapa Biosystems’ powerful, directed, Molecular Evolution Technology platform is being used to develop optimized enzymes for DNA amplification and molecular diagnostic applications. Their molecular engineering technologies exploit the process of Natural Selection in a laboratory environment to harness the power of mutation and selection and evolve proteins with desirable properties that are not found in nature. This technology platform is enabling amazing new advances that were not previously possible with generalist wild-type enzymes.

Kapa Biosystems - designing enzymes to suit their application

The full range of Kapa products now available from Anachem includes:

• KAPA2G Robust Hot Start, a highly robust and versatile second-generation enzyme that offers higher processivity and specific activity.
• KAPA SYBR^® FAST qPCR Kits with a unique enzyme, specifically evolved for qPCR using SYBR^® Green I dye chemistry.
• KAPA Blood PCR kits with the first polymerase engineered for PCR direct from whole blood
• KAPA2G Fast Hot Start DNA Polymerase that is specifically engineered for higher processivity and speed to give significantly faster extension rates than wild-type Taq polymerase.

KAPA SYBR^® FAST qPCR Kits contain a novel DNA polymerase evolved specifically for real-time PCR.

The result is industry-leading performance:

• Highest reaction efficiency.
• Highest signal intensity.
• Highest sensitivity and linearity.
• Higher speed to reduce total cycling time.

High Performance Real-Time PCR

KAPA SYBR^® FAST qPCR Master Mix is designed for high performance real-time PCR. The kit contains a novel DNA polymerase engineered through a process of molecular evolution. The result is a unique enzyme, specifically evolved for qPCR using SYBR^® Green I dye chemistry.

The reaction efficiency of qPCR is critical for accurate and reliable gene quantification. Wild type Taq DNA polymerase is often inhibited by real-time PCR reaction conditions, leading to significant loss in specificity and sensitivity of the assay. The KAPA SYBR® DNA Polymerase has been engineered to perform optimally in stringent qPCR reaction conditions, exhibiting dramatic improvements in:

• signal-to-noise ratio (fluorescence)
• cycle threshold (Ct)
• linearity
• sensitivity.

The novel DNA polymerase and proprietary buffer system enhances the amplification efficiency of difficult templates, including both GC and AT-rich templates.

High speed is achieved through the increased processivity of the engineered KAPA SYBR^® DNA Polymerase and the short initial denaturation time required for the activation of the proprietary antibody-mediated hot start.

KAPA SYBR^® FAST qPCR Kits are ideally suited for:

• Gene expression analysis
• Microarray validation
• Low copy gene detection
• Gene knockdown validation

With KAPA SYBR Green there is no need for lengthy re-optimisation of your reactions.

Just substitute the master mix and run a side by side comparison to see for yourself the superior results. Its that simple!

KAPA2G Fast Hot Start combines a second-generation DNA polymerase engineered for extreme speed with Hot Start technology for optimal performance.

The result is industry-leading performance:

• Extension rates as low as 1 sec per kilobase.
• Outstanding performance when compared to conventional hot start Taq polymerase.
• Savings in total reaction time of 20 - 70%.
• No specialist PCR consumables or instrumentation required.

KAPA2G Fast Hot Start is based on KAPA2G Fast DNA Polymerase, a second-generation enzyme derived through a process of molecular evolution. KAPA2G Fast DNA Polymerase was specifically engineered for higher processivity and speed, offering significantly faster extension rates than wild-type Taq polymerase. In the Hot Start formulation, the enzyme is combined with a proprietary antibody that inactivates the enzyme until the first denaturation step. This eliminates spurious amplification products resulting from non-specific priming events during reaction setup and initiation, and increases overall reaction efficiency.

KAPA2G Fast Hot Start is particularly well suited for high throughput Fast PCR, offering total reaction times 20 - 70% shorter than conventional PCR assays. In addition, KAPA2G Fast Hot Start achieves higher yields and greater sensitivity than other enzymes across a wide range of amplicon types.

Any standard, end-point PCR assay performed efficiently with wild-type Taq polymerase (or a hot start formulation thereof) may be converted to a Fast PCR assay with KAPA2G Fast Hot Start. Amplicons generated with KAPA2G Fast Hot Start are suitable for routine downstream applications, including restriction enzyme digestion, cloning and sequencing.

Amy Jingzi Liu, Anachem product manager says “We are very excited about bringing this new range of products to Anachem customers. “Kapa enzymes offer some distinctive benefits in various applications, such as the ability to perform direct PCR from whole blood, or reduce total cycling times by 75%. Anachem is well positioned to provide the best channel for Kapa products in the UK and Ireland and we have made additional investment to provide the technical expertise to support them.”

Ron McEwan of Kapa Biosystems says, “We are confident that Anachem will be a strong partner for us, providing experienced sales, marketing and technical teams to successfully support our innovative products.”

To request your FREE sample of the Kapa Biosystems enzymes contact us now on + 44 (0) 1582 747500 or Contact Anachem (UK & Ireland customers only).