Comparison of different approaches for the incorporation of non-radioactive labels into polymerase chain reaction products.

Different methods for labelling polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products with non-radioactive labels for their detection by hybridization with immobilized DNA probes were compared. The use of digoxigenin (DIG) as a label provided greater sensitivity than biotin in a PCR system targeting the invA gene from Salmonella typhimurium. Incorporation of digoxigenin into amplicons in the form of 5'-DIG-labelled oligonucleotide primers resulted in better assay signals and was more economical than DIG-labelled dUTP.