Patent ID: 6949340

Claim:
A method of employing oligonucleotide probes to obtain information on a position of interest on a target sequence segment of a target nucleic acid analyte, the method comprising: contacting the target nucleic acid analyte, under hybridizing conditions, with at least two oligonucleotide probes having a variable position, wherein on at least one of the at least two oligonucleotide probes, the variable position is occupied by a degenerately base pairing nucleotide analog selected from the group consisting of dP and 8-oxo-dG and on at least one other of the at least two oligonucleotide probes, the variable position is occupied by a degenerately base pairing nucleotide analog selected from the group consisting of dP and 8-oxo-dG or a non-degenerately base pairing nucleotide; wherein hybridization of one or all of the at least two oligonucleotide probes to the target sequence segment occurs only if the degenerately base pairing nucleotide analog or the non-degenerately base pairing nucleotide at the variable position base pairs with a complementary nucleotide at the position of interest; and further wherein none of the at least two oligonucleotide probes hybridizes to the target nucleic acid analyte if there is a mismatch between the degenerately base pairing nucleotide analog or the non-degenerately base pairing nucleotide at the variable position and a nucleotide at the position of interest on the target sequence segment.