title: Repetitive element PCR fingerprinting (rep-PCR) using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) primers is not necessarily directed at ERIC elements.
abstract: We examined the use of enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) sequences in PCR on the DNAs of various bacteria, bacteriophage, invertebrates, fungi, plants and vertebrates and have shown that complex ERIC-PCR patterns can be readily produced from all of these target organisms. A range of annealing temperatures was tested, from 52 degrees C (the commonly used annealing temperature) to 66 degrees C (the approximate Tm of ERIC primers). At the higher temperatures, most bands failed to amplify, the exception being a subset of bands from enterobacterial targets. It was concluded that ERIC-PCR does not necessarily direct amplification from genuine ERIC sequences.
authors.affiliation: Key Centre for Biodiversity and Bioresources, School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia. mgilling@rna.bio.mq.edu.au
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gillings
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holley
mesh_terms: D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid