Patent ID: 8323886

Claim:
An assay method for acquiring information on the relative locations of one or more codons on a single ribonucleic acid, the method comprising: contacting components including a ribosomal particle comprising a ribosome and the ribonucleic acid with a complex comprising moieties that are aa 1 -tRNA, EF-Tu and GTP or a functional analog, wherein at least one said moiety is labeled with a fluorescent molecule (label one), wherein aa 1 -tRNA is a tRNA for first amino acid aa 1 that is charged with aa 1 ; providing, in conjunction with the contacted components, a ribosomal translation component mixture; generating multiple fluorescent signals over time from label one in correlation with (i) incorporations of aa 1 into protein pursuant to translation of the ribonucleic acid directed by the ribosomal particle and (ii) resultant separations of the labeled moiety from the complex; and detecting in real time the fluorescent signals from label one over a course of time, the detected signals generated from a single said ribosomal particle and result from the separations of the labeled moiety from the complex, to provide information on the relative positions of codons for aa 1 on the ribonucleic acid.