What is TaqMan?

TaqMan is a PCR assay that uses a fluorogenic probe to enable the quantitative detection of a specific DNA sequence during PCR. The probe contains a reporter dye at the 5' end and a quencher dye at the 3' end. During PCR, if the target sequence is present, the probe will hybridize to the target sequence between the forward and reverse primers. The DNA polymerase will cleave the probe, separating the reporter dye from the quencher dye, resulting in a fluorescent signal that is proportional to the amount of target DNA present in the sample. It is commonly used for gene expression analysis, pathogen detection, and SNP genotyping.