Patent ID: 6872530

Claim:
A peptide nucleic acid probe-based method for generating data indicative of the presence of a variant in a nucleotide containing compound, comprising: subjecting a peptide nucleic acid probe (PNAP) having fewer than about 30 bases to temperature gradient electrophoresis in the presence of a nucleotide containing compound (NCC), wherein, during temperature gradient electrophoresis, the PNAP and the NCC are subjected to a first temperature and a second, different temperature and, during at least a portion of the temperature gradient electrophoresis, the PNAP and NCC migrate electrophoretically, wherein: (a) one of the first and second temperatures is sufficient to retard electrophoretic migration of a first duplex comprising the PNAP and the NCC relative to a second duplex comprising the PNAP and the NCC if the first duplex comprises a mismatch between the PNAIP and NCC and the second duplex lacks the mismatch between the PNAP and NCC; and (b) the other of the first and second temperatures is insufficient to retard an electrophoretic migration of the first duplex relative to the second duplex; irradiating at least the PNAP to generate a spectroscopic signal; and converting the spectroscopic signal into data suitable for determining the presence of the variant in the NCC.