Patent ID: 6566058
Filing Date: 2003-05-20
Classification: C12Q

Abstract:
A method of detecting the presence of a nucleic acid target sequence of interest in a sample, comprising the steps of:(a) reacting the sample containing the target sequence of interest with a first nucleic acid probe, so as to cause hybridisation between complementary portions of the target and the probe, wherein the probe comprises 5â€² and 3â€² portions complementary to respective portions of the target sequence which are adjacent or within 10 nucleotides of each other and an intervening non-complementary portion which does not become hybridised to the target, thereby creating a loop region looped out from a complex formed between the first probe and the target, such that non-contiguous portions of the first probe are brought into close proximity; (b) hybridising a second nucleic acid probe to non-contiguous looped out portions of the first probe, (c) initiating nucleic acid synthesis, using the first probe as template, in a manner dependent upon hybridisation of the second probe to the first probe; and (d) detecting the newly synthesised nucleic acid from step (c) above.