Patent ID: 8470531

Claim:
A method for reducing non-specific fluorescence comprising: forming a reaction composition comprising a polymerase, a polymerase inhibitor comprising a nucleotide sequence comprising at least one double-stranded segment and at least one quencher, a target nucleic acid, a primer, and a nucleic acid dye, at a first temperature, wherein the polymerase and the polymerase inhibitor associate to form a complex, and wherein the quencher inhibits fluorescence of the nucleic acid dye associated with the double-stranded segment of the nucleotide sequence of the polymerase inhibitor; heating the reaction composition to a second temperature to dissociate the complex; amplifying the target nucleic acid in the reaction composition to generate a multiplicity of amplicons; and detecting the fluorescence of the nucleic acid dye associated with the multiplicity of amplicons in the reaction composition, wherein the quencher inhibits fluorescence of the nucleic acid dye associated with the double-stranded segment of the nucleotide sequence of the polymerase inhibitor.