Patent ID: 7309569

Claim:
A complex comprising: a probe containing a heteropolymeric probe sequence of nucleic acids or nucleic acid analogues containing purines and pyrimidines; and a target containing a heteropolymeric target sequence of nucleic acids or nucleic acid analogues containing purines and pyrimidines, wherein: (a) at least one of said probe and said target is purified or synthetic; (b) bonding of said heteropolymeric probe sequence to said heteropolymeric target sequence consists of: (i) Watson-Crick bonds between each pyrimidine of the heteropolymeric probe sequence and each opposing purine of the heteropolymeric target sequence, and between each purine of the heteropolymeric probe sequence and each opposing pyrimidine of the heteropolymeric target sequence; or (ii) homologous bonds between each pyrimidine of the heteropolymeric probe sequence and each opposing pyrimidine of the heteropolymeric target sequence, and between each purine of the heteropolymeric probe sequence and each opposing purine of the heteropolymeric target sequence; and (c) all bases of said probe and said target are selected from the group consisting of A, T, G, C and U, provided that when said complex is a duplex and said heteropolymeric probe sequence is antiparallel to said heteropolymeric target sequence, said heteropolymeric probe sequence is bonded to said heteropolymeric target sequence by homologous base interaction, and provided that when said complex is a triplex, said complex is free of recombination proteins.