Patent ID: 7361469

Claim:
An oligonucleotide probe having a 5′ and 3′ end, comprising: (a) a hairpin sequence that does not hybridize to a target nucleic acid and consisting of a stem and a loop; (b) a target binding sequence that forms a hybrid with a target nucleic acid; and, (c) an interactive pair of labels, consisting of a first and second member; wherein said hairpin sequence and said target binding sequence are covalently linked, wherein said first member of said pair is attached anywhere in said probe outside of said hairpin sequence and wherein said second member of said pair is attached to said target binding sequence at the terminus distal to said hairpin sequence, wherein a detectable signal is emitted by one of said pair of labels, and wherein said detectable signal increases by at least 2 fold upon cleavage of said probe between said pair.