False positives resulted from colony PCR in rapid identification of recombinant clones from phage antibody library

Objective To evaluate the reliability of colony PCR in identifying the recombinant clones selected from phage antibody libraries. Methods The digested pComb3 vector and Lc fragments, Lc library plasmid, and Fd fragments were ligated successively. The ligation product was transformed into Escherichia Coli strain XL 1-blue bacilli by electroporation and thus murine Fab phage antibody library was constructed.The transformed recombinant clones selected randomly from libraries were identified simultaneously by colony PCR, plasmid PCR and restriction enzyme digestion. The identification consistency was analyzed. The interference was excluded by control PCR using the relevant constituents as template. Results The educed library content of Lc library was 1.175×10 6 CFU and the content of Fab antibody library was 1.02×10 6 CFU. Different recombinant percentages were obtained through three different identification methods (the Lc positive recombinant percentages by colony PCR, plasmid PCR and enzyme digestion were 100%, 78% and 78%, respectively; the Fd positive recombinant percentages by three methods were 90%, 66% and 66%, respectively; the dual positive recombinant (Fd and Lc insert simultaneously) percentages by three methods were 90%, 50% and 50%, respectively). A high frequency of false-positives appeared in colony PCR identification. Nonspecific amplification of control PCR was presumably induced by some intracellular components in XL 1-blue bacilli. Conclusion The identification of the recombinant clones selected from phage antibody libraries by colony PCR remains ambiguous. So it is our assertion that the traditional identification methods such as plasmid PCR or enzyme digestion are more accurate and will less false positive results.