Methods and apparatus for synthesizing nucleic acids
First Claim
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1. A method for synthesizing an oligonucleotide, comprising:
- exposing a nucleic acid attached to a solid support to a nucleotide analog in the presence of a nucleotidyl transferase enzyme and in the absence of a nucleic acid template, thereby creating an oligonucleotide analog,wherein the nucleotide analog comprises an unmodified 3′
hydroxyl and a cleavable terminating group comprising a charged moiety,wherein the oligonucleotide analog is not a substrate for said nucleotidyl transferase enzyme when the cleavable terminating group is attached, but the oligonucleotide analog is a substrate for said nucleotidyl transferase enzyme when the terminating group is not attached.
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Abstract
The invention provides improved methods for synthesizing polynucleotides, such as DNA and RNA, using enzymes and specially designed nucleotide analogs. Using the methods of the invention, specific sequences of polynucleotides can be synthesized de novo, base by base, in an aqueous environment, without the use of a nucleic acid template. Because the nucleotide analogs have an unmodified 3′ OH, i.e., as found in “natural” deoxyribose and ribose molecules, the analogs result in natural polynucleotides suitable for incorporation into biological systems.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for synthesizing an oligonucleotide, comprising:
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exposing a nucleic acid attached to a solid support to a nucleotide analog in the presence of a nucleotidyl transferase enzyme and in the absence of a nucleic acid template, thereby creating an oligonucleotide analog, wherein the nucleotide analog comprises an unmodified 3′
hydroxyl and a cleavable terminating group comprising a charged moiety,wherein the oligonucleotide analog is not a substrate for said nucleotidyl transferase enzyme when the cleavable terminating group is attached, but the oligonucleotide analog is a substrate for said nucleotidyl transferase enzyme when the terminating group is not attached. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for oligonucleotide synthesis, the method comprising the steps of:
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exposing a support-bound nucleic acid that is free of a nucleic acid template to; a nucleotide analog that comprises a moiety attached thereto by a cleavable linker and having a free 3′
hydroxyl, anda nucleotidyl transferase, thereby incorporating said nucleotide analog into said support-bound nucleic acid to create an oligonucleotide analog wherein the oligonucleotide analog is not a substrate for said nucleotidyl transferase when the moiety is attached but is a substrate for said nucleotidyl transferase when the moiety is not attached; washing said solid support upon incorporation of said nucleotide analog to remove unincorporated nucleotide analog; cleaving said cleavable linker; and repeating said exposing, washing, and cleaving steps in order to synthesize an oligonucleotide. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for synthesizing oligonucleotides with a predetermined sequence in an aqueous environment, comprising:
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a first, second, third, and fourth source of nucleotide triphosphate (NTP) reagent and template-independent nucleotidyl transferase enzyme solutions in fluid communication with a solid support, wherein the reagent solutions in the first, second, third, and fourth sources are selected from NTP-adenine, NTP-guanine, NTP-cytosine, NTP-thymine, wherein at least a portion of the nucleotide triphosphates comprise an unmodified 3′
hydroxyl and a cleavable terminating group that, upon incorporation by a nucleotidyl transferase into an oligonucleotide analog, prevents said oligonucleotide analog from being a substrate for said nucleotidyl transferase in the absence of a nucleic acid template and results in the oligonucleotide analog becoming a substrate for said nucleotidyl transferase in the absence of a nucleic acid template upon cleavage of said terminating group. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification