Patent ID: 7553943

Claim:
A hairpin polynucleotide, having a loop and a stem region, characterised in that the hairpin polynucleotide comprises a sulfur-based nucleophile, wherein the sulfur-based nucleophile is a moiety of the formula (I): wherein ˜ denotes a linker connecting the sulfur-based nucleophile to the remainder of the polynucleotide; X represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or a group NR, in which R is hydrogen or an optionally substituted C 1-10 alkyl; Y represents an oxygen or a sulfur atom; and Z represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or an optionally substituted C 1-10 alkyl group, and wherein the sulfur-based nucleophile is attached to the base of an internal nucleotide or to the 1′-carbon atom of an abasic internal nucleotide in the hairpin through a linker to enable binding to a solid support.