Cloning multigene families with degenerate PCR primers

Abstract

Multigene families often exhibit regions of highly conserved amino acid sequence that are characteristic of a given family. Degenerate PCR primers that target these motifs will selectively amplify members within that multigene family. Members of the family that are expressed in a particular tissue can be amplified from cDNA. The PCR products can be easily cloned, screened, and sequenced over a precise region to rapidly identify novel genes. PCR with degenerate primers can also be used to screen the expression of these genes in various tissues and cell types.