Patent ID: 6268147
Filing Date: 2001-07-31
Classification: C12Q

Abstract:
A method for analyzing nucleic acids comprising the steps of:preparing a target nucleic acid/labeled probe mixture by mixing a heat-denatured nucleic acid sample comprising a target nucleic acid with a molar excess of one or more labeled probes wherein said labeled probes are oligonucleotides with lengths and sequences selected for optimal annealing to unique positions within the target nucleic acid;hybridizing said target nucleic acid/labeled probe mixture to an array of surface-tethered capture probes wherein said capture probes are oligonucleotides designed to anneal to the target nucleic acid in tandem with at least one of said labeled probes, wherein said capture probes are surface-tethered at one end to a specific region of a solid phase support material, and wherein hybridization conditions are selected such that a capture probe from said array can bind to said target nucleic acid only when hybridized in tandem with at least one labeled probe, forming stable, contiguously stacked labeled probe/capture probe duplex structures containing no base mismatches at or near the junctions of said labeled probes and said capture probes; andanalyzing the resulting pattern of binding of label across the surface of said solid phase support material to reveal the presence of sequences in the target nucleic acid complementary to tandemly hybridized complexes of said labeled probes and said capture probes.