Patent ID: 8133984

Claim:
An oligonucleotide analogue comprising a consecutive sequence of n nucleotides and/or nucleotide analogues and at least two hydrophobic nucleotides, wherein said oligonucleotide analogue is covalently linked to a signalling pair, wherein the hydrophobic nucleotide has the general structure X—Y-Q wherein X is a nucleotide or nucleotide analogue or a backbone monomer unit capable of being incorporated into the backbone of a nucleic acid or nucleic acid analogue, Q is a hydrophobic molecule which is not taking part in Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding; and Y is a linker moiety linking said nucleotide or nucleotide analogue or backbone monomer unit and said hydrophobic molecule; and wherein n is an integer of at least 4; and wherein the at least two hydrophobic nucleotides are positioned at the most 9 nucleotides and/or nucleotide analogues from at least one end of the oligonucleotide analogue; and wherein the hydrophobic nucleotide closest to the 3′ end and the hydrophobic nucleotide closest to the 5′ end of the oligonucleotide analogue are positioned in approximately the same distance from the respective parts of the signalling pair, and wherein the signalling pair consists of a two part system, wherein one part is positioned at the most 6 nucleotides and/or nucleotide analogues from the 5′ end and the other part is positioned at the most 6 nucleotides or nucleotide analogues from the 3′ end of the oligonucleotide analogue; wherein the parts of the signalling pair are not identical to the hydrophobic nucleotide, with the proviso that when one part of the signalling pair is positioned as a dangling end at the 5′ end of the oligonucleotide analogue, then the first nucleotide or nucleotide analogue at the 5′ end is not a hydrophobic nucleotide and when one part of the signalling pair is positioned as a dangling end at the 3′ end of the oligonucleotide analogue, then the first nucleotide or nucleotide analogue at the 3′ end is not a hydrophobic nucleotide.