Most popular polymerases
Powerful enzymes deliver powerful results
The success of your experiments depends on polymerases that can reliably amplify target sequences regardless of sample type, sequence complexity, or amount of starting material. At Takara Bio, we have developed a wide range of high-performance PCR enzymes for both routine applications and challenging reaction conditions like multiplexing, long and accurate PCR, fast PCR, and inhibitor-resistant direct PCR.
Use the sections below to choose the best polymerase for your work. Browse by application or experimental needs, or take a look at the full comparison table.
Browse by application
Multiplexing
Experimental needs: exceptionally high yield and sensitivity
Titanium Taq DNA polymerases: for multiplex genotyping, pathogen detection, whole genome SNP detection, amplifying cell-free DNA, and validated use on CytoScan and MassARRAY systems
| PCR polymerase | Titanium Taq |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤2 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤2 kb |
| cDNA | ≤4 kb |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | + |
| Yield (out of +++++) | +++++ |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – |
| Exonuclease activity | None |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ |
| Glycerol-free | ✔ |
| 2X premix | – |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | ✔ (view product info) |
Clinical research samples
Experimental needs: highly accurate detection for low-input starting material
Advantage 2 DNA polymerases: for cDNA amplification and carrier screening
| PCR polymerase | Advantage 2 |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤6 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤18 kb |
| cDNA | ≤8.5 kb |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | ++ |
| Yield (out of +++++) | +++ |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – |
| Exonuclease activity | 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | – |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | ✔ (view product details) |
Complex and long templates
Experimental needs: reliable and unbiased amplification
PrimeSTAR GXL DNA polymerases: for NGS library prep and targeted sequencing for multiplex HLA typing and highly polymorphic regions
| PCR polymerase | PrimeSTAR GXL |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤30 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤40 kb |
| cDNA | ≤13.5 kb |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | ++++ |
| Yield (out of +++++) | + |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | ✔ |
| Exonuclease activity | 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 10 sec/kb (with fast protocol) |
| PCR products | Blunt ends |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | ✔ (view product info) |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | – |
High-fidelity applications and fast PCR
Experimental needs: streamlined high-throughput workflows
PrimeSTAR Max DNA polymerases: for cloning, antibody engineering, and amplifying repetitive sequences
| PCR polymerase | PrimeSTAR Max |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤6 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤15 kb |
| cDNA | ≤6 kb |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | +++++ |
| Yield (out of +++++) | + |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – |
| Exonuclease activity | 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 5 sec/kb |
| PCR products | Blunt ends |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | ✔ |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | – |
Amplification without DNA extraction or purification
Experimental needs: sample conservation and time-saving workflows
Terra Direct PCR DNA polymerases: for direct PCR with blood, tissues, cells, or crude DNA extracts; drop-seq; and single-cell RNA-seq
| PCR polymerase | Terra Direct PCR |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤2 kb |
| plasmid/λ | – |
| cDNA | – |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | Not tested |
| Yield (out of +++++) | + |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | ✔ |
| Exonuclease activity | None |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | ✔ |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | – |
Terra Direct PCR polymerase is offered as MightyAmp polymerase outside the US, Canada, and Europe.
Long-range PCR
Experimental needs: optimized performance for long targets, up to 48 kb
Takara LA Taq DNA polymerases: for sequencing of mitochondrial DNA, pseudogenes, and other highly homologous sequences
| PCR polymerase | Takara LA Taq |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤30 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤48 kb |
| cDNA | – |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | +++ |
| Yield (out of +++++) | ++ |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – |
| Exonuclease activity | 5′→3′ 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ (non-hot-start version also available) |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | ✔ |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | – |
Diverse sample types
Experimental needs: versatility and reliability for consistently successful amplification
Takara Ex Taq DNA polymerases: for probe-based qPCR, routine PCR, and sgRNA amplification for sequencing
| PCR polymerase | Takara Ex Taq |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤20 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤30 kb |
| cDNA | – |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | ++ |
| Yield (out of +++++) | ++ |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – |
| Exonuclease activity | 5′→3′ 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ (non-hot-start version also available) |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | ✔ |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | – |
Comparison table
| PCR polymerase | Titanium Taq | Advantage 2 | PrimeSTAR GXL | PrimeSTAR Max | Terra Direct PCR | Takara LA Taq | Takara Ex Taq |
| Recommended amplicon size | |||||||
| gDNA | ≤2 kb | ≤6 kb | ≤30 kb | ≤6 kb | ≤2 kb | ≤30 kb | ≤20 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤2 kb | ≤18 kb | ≤40 kb | ≤15 kb | – | ≤48 kb | ≤30 kb |
| cDNA | ≤4 kb | ≤8.5 kb | ≤13.5 kb | ≤6 kb | – | – | – |
| Enzyme properties | |||||||
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq | + | ++ | ++++ | +++++ | Not tested | +++ | ++ |
| Yield | +++++ | +++ | + | + | + | ++ | ++ |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – | – | ✔ | – | ✔ | – | – |
| Exonuclease activity | None | 3′→5′ | 3′→5′ | 3′→5′ | None | 5′→3′ 3′→5′ |
5′→3′ 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb | 60 sec/kb | 10 sec/kb (with fast protocol) | 5 sec/kb | 60 sec/kb | 60 sec/kb | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs | T/A overhangs | Blunt ends | Blunt ends | T/A overhangs | T/A overhangs | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |||||||
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (non-hot-start version also available) | ✔ (non-hot-start version also available) |
| Glycerol-free | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 2X premix | – | – | ✔ (view product info) | ✔ | ✔ | – | ✔ |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | ✔ (view product info) | ✔ (view product info) | – | – | – | – | – |
Terra Direct PCR polymerase is offered as MightyAmp polymerase outside the US, Canada, and Europe.
Browse by experimental needs
Exceptionally high yield and sensitivity
Main application: multiplexing
Titanium Taq DNA polymerases: for multiplex genotyping, pathogen detection, whole genome SNP detection, amplifying cell-free DNA, and validated use on CytoScan and MassARRAY systems
| PCR polymerase | Titanium Taq |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤2 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤2 kb |
| cDNA | ≤4 kb |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | + |
| Yield (out of +++++) | ++++ |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – |
| Exonuclease activity | None |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ |
| Glycerol-free | ✔ |
| 2X premix | - |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | ✔ (view product details) |
Highly accurate detection for low-input starting material
Main application: clinical samples
Advantage 2 DNA polymerases: for cDNA amplification and carrier screening
| PCR polymerase | Advantage 2 |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤6 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤18 kb |
| cDNA | ≤8.5 kb |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | ++ |
| Yield (out of +++++) | +++ |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – |
| Exonuclease activity | 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | – |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | ✔ (view product details) |
Reliable and unbiased amplification
Main application: complex and long templates
PrimeSTAR GXL DNA polymerases: for NGS library prep and targeted sequencing for multiplex HLA typing and highly polymorphic regions
| PCR polymerase | PrimeSTAR GXL |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤30 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤40 kb |
| cDNA | ≤13.5 kb |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | ++++ |
| Yield (out of +++++) | + |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | ✔ |
| Exonuclease activity | 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 10 sec/kb (with fast protocol) |
| PCR products | Blunt ends |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | ✔ (view product details) |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | – |
Streamlined high-throughput workflows
Main application: high-fidelity applications and fast PCR
PrimeSTAR Max DNA polymerases: for cloning, antibody engineering, and amplifying repetitive sequences
| PCR polymerase | PrimeSTAR Max |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤6 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤15 kb |
| cDNA | ≤6 kb |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | +++++ |
| Yield (out of +++++) | + |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – |
| Exonuclease activity | 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 5 sec/kb |
| PCR products | Blunt ends |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | ✔ |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | – |
Sample conservation and time-saving workflows
Main application: amplification without DNA extraction or purification
Terra Direct PCR DNA polymerases: for direct PCR with blood, tissues, cells, or crude DNA extracts; drop-seq; and single-cell RNA-seq
| PCR polymerase | Terra Direct PCR |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤2 kb |
| plasmid/λ | – |
| cDNA | – |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | Not tested |
| Yield (out of +++++) | + |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | ✔ |
| Exonuclease activity | None |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | ✔ |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | – |
Terra Direct PCR polymerase is offered as MightyAmp polymerase outside the US, Canada, and Europe.
Optimized performance for long targets, up to 48 kb
Main application: long-range PCR
Takara LA Taq DNA polymerases: for sequencing of mitochondrial DNA, pseudogenes, and other highly homologous sequences
| PCR polymerase | Takara LA Taq |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤30 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤48 kb |
| cDNA | – |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | +++ |
| Yield (out of +++++) | ++ |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – |
| Exonuclease activity | 5′→3′ 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ (non-hot-start version also available) |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | ✔ |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | – |
Versatility and reliability for consistently successful amplification
Main application: diverse sample types
Takara Ex Taq DNA polymerases: for probe-based qPCR, routine PCR, and sgRNA amplification for sequencing
| PCR polymerase | Takara Ex Taq |
| Recommended amplicon size | |
| gDNA | ≤20 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤30 kb |
| cDNA | – |
| Enzyme properties | |
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq (out of +++++) | ++ |
| Yield (out of +++++) | ++ |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – |
| Exonuclease activity | 5′→3′ 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ (non-hot-start version also available) |
| Glycerol-free | – |
| 2X premix | ✔ |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | – |
Comparison table
| PCR polymerase | Titanium Taq | Advantage 2 | PrimeSTAR GXL | PrimeSTAR Max | Terra Direct PCR | Takara LA Taq | Takara Ex Taq |
| Recommended amplicon size | |||||||
| gDNA | ≤2 kb | ≤6 kb | ≤30 kb | ≤6 kb | ≤2 kb | ≤30 kb | ≤20 kb |
| plasmid/λ | ≤2 kb | ≤18 kb | ≤40 kb | ≤15 kb | – | ≤48 kb | ≤30 kb |
| cDNA | ≤4 kb | ≤8.5 kb | ≤13.5 kb | ≤6 kb | – | – | – |
| Enzyme properties | |||||||
| Fidelity vs wild-type Taq | + | ++ | ++++ | +++++ | Not tested | +++ | ++ |
| Yield | +++++ | +++ | + | + | + | ++ | ++ |
| Suitable for GC content >65% | – | – | ✔ | – | ✔ | – | – |
| Exonuclease activity | None | 3′→5′ | 3′→5′ | 3′→5′ | None | 5′→3′ 3′→5′ |
5′→3′ 3′→5′ |
| Speed | 60 sec/kb | 60 sec/kb | 10 sec/kb (with fast protocol) | 5 sec/kb | 60 sec/kb | 60 sec/kb | 60 sec/kb |
| PCR products | T/A overhangs | T/A overhangs | Blunt ends | Blunt ends | T/A overhangs | T/A overhangs | T/A overhangs |
| Available formulations | |||||||
| Antibody-mediated hot-start | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (non-hot-start version also available) | ✔ (non-hot-start version also available) |
| Glycerol-free | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 2X premix | – | – | ✔ (view product info) | ✔ | ✔ | – | ✔ |
| Lyophilized 2X premix | ✔ (view product info) | ✔ (view product info) | – | – | – | – | – |
Terra Direct PCR polymerase is offered as MightyAmp polymerase outside the US, Canada, and Europe.
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