Modified ‘Allele-specific qPCR’ method for SNP genotyping based on FRET

The proposed method is a modified and improved version of the existing ‘Allele-specific q-PCR’ (ASQ) method for genotyping of Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) based on Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). This method is similar to frequently used techniques like Amplifluor and KASP, as well as others employing common Universal probes (UPs) for SNP analyses. In the proposed ASQ method, the fluorophores and quencher are located in separate complementary oligonucleotides. The ASQ method is based on the simultaneous presence in PCR of the following two components: an allele-specific mixture (allele-specific and common primers) and a template-independent detector mixture that contains two or more (up to four) universal probes (UP-1 to 4) and a single universal quencher oligonucleotide (Uni-Q). The SNP site is positioned preferably at a penultimate base in each allele-specific primer, which increases the reaction specificity and allele discrimination. The proposed ASQ method is advanced in providing very clear and effective measurement of the fluorescence emitted, with very low signal background-noise, and simple procedures convenient for customised modifications and adjustments. Importantly, this ASQ method is two- to ten-fold cheaper than Amplifluor and KASP, respectively, and much cheaper than all those methods that rely on dual-labelled probes without Universal components, like TaqMan and Molecular Beacons. Results for SNP genotyping in the barley genes HvSAP16 and HvSAP8, controlling stress-associated proteins, are presented as proven and validated examples. This method is suitable for bi-allelic uniplex reactions but, it can potentially also be used for 3- or 4-allelic variants or different SNPs in a multiplex format in a range of applications including medical, forensic or others involving SNP genotyping.