Patent ID: 7241596

Claim:
A method for performing combined PCR amplification and hybridization probing comprising the steps of: contacting a target nucleic acid sequence with PCR reagents, including at least two PCR primers and a polymerase enzyme, and an oligonucleotide probe comprising: an oligonucleotide capable of hybridizing to a target polynucleotide sequence; a fluorescer molecule attached to a first location on the oligonucleotide; a quencher molecule attached to a second location on the oligonucleotide such that the quencher molecule substantially quenches the fluorescence of the fluorescer molecule whenever the oligonucleotide probe is not hybridized to the target polynucleotide sequence and such that the fluorescer molecule is substantially unquenched whenever the oligonucleotide probe is hybridized to the target polynucleotide sequence; a 5′ end which is not recognized by a polymerase having a 5′→3′ exonuclease activity; and a 3′ end which is not recognized by a polymerase having a 5′→3′ extension activity; and subjecting the target nucleic sequence, the oligonucleotide probe, and the PCR reagents to thermal cycling, including a polymerization step, the thermal cycling being sufficient to amplify the target nucleic acid sequence specified by the PCR reagents.