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The technique known as PCR Clamping imparts the ability to resolve single base differences in template strands available to amplify or detect. By setting up a competition for the primer site between a PNA sequence and a DNA primer that differ by one base, one can selectively inhibit the amplification of one allele and not interfere with the amplification of the other allele. The tighter binding combined with the greater specificity of PNA/DNA duplexes make this process possible. PNA is much less tolerant of a single base mismatch. Also by binding to, or in the vicinity of the primer site one can suppress the amplification of a wild type while amplifying the mutants expressed in the PNA binding region. The PNA will selectively suppress the amplification of perfect match (wild type) and not inhibit the amplification of a sequence that differs by as little as one base, i.e. the mutations.
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