Method for nucleic acid amplification and detection using adhered probes

• US 5,888,723 A
• Filed: 11/20/1992
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Clinical Diagnostic Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Clinical Diagnostics Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Zander, Dennis Roland, Chen, Paul Hong-Dze, Cummins, Thomas Joseph, Ponticello, Ignazio Salvatore, Findlay, John Bruce, Donish, William Harold, Sutton, Richard Calvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Carla J.
• Application Number:
  US07/980,512
• Time in Patent Office: 2,321 Days
• Field of Search: 435/6, 435/91, 435/172.3, 435/968, 435/5, 435/91.2, 436/501, 436/533, 436/807, 436/810, 935/78, 536/24.3
• US Class Current: 435/5
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0481 squeezing of channels or chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/508 rigid containers not provided for above
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6834 Enzymatic or biochemical coupling of nucleic acids to a solid phase
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/686 Polymerase chain reaction [PCR]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54313 the carrier being characterised by its particulate form
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/968 High energy substrates, e.g. fluorescent, chemiluminescent, radioactive

Abstract

Nucleic acids can be amplified and detected using an element which has a sealable support on which is disposed a nucleic acid reagent composition. The composition is a mixture of a nucleic acid reagent composed of polymeric particles to which an oligonucleotide is covalently attached. The particles are prepared from a first polymer having a glass transition temperature of at least about 70° C. and have an average diameter of from about 0.1 to about 3 micrometers. The reagent is adhered to the support using a water insoluble adhesive comprising a second polymer which has a glass transition temperature which is at least about 30° C. less than the glass transition temperature of the first polymer. The adhesive is present in the composition at from about 1 to about 20 dry weight percent. The method provides high sensitivity and low background in the assay of nucleic acids, preferably using polymerase chain reaction.

Claims

1. A method for the detection of a target nucleic acid comprising:

A. contacting a specimen suspected of containing a target nucleic acid with a nucleic acid test element comprising a sealable support having disposed thereon a nucleic acid reagent composition comprising a mixture of;

a. a nucleic acid reagent comprising;

particles composed of a first polymer having a glass transition temperature of at least about 70°

C., said particles having an average diameter of from about 0.1 to about 3 micrometers, and

an oligonucleotide covalently attached to said particles which is complementary to said target nucleic acid, and

b. a water insoluble adhesive comprising a second polymer which has a glass transition temperature which is at least about 30°

C. less than the glass transition temperature of said first polymer,

said polymeric adhesive being present in said composition at from about 1 to about 20 weight percent,

wherein said sealable support has hydrophilic surface groups provided by a treatment selected from the group consisting of corona discharge treatment, chromic acid treatment, and treatment with a radio frequency electromagnetic field in the presence of a reactive gas, or said hydrophilic surface groups are provided by a hydrophilic subbing layer on which said composition is disposed,

so as to form a water insoluble hybridized product of said target nucleic acid and said oligonucleotide, and

B. detecting said hybridized product as an indication of the presence of said target nucleic acid in said specimen.

2. The method of claim 1 for the detection of a viral or bacterial nucleic acid.

3. The method of claim 2 for the detection of HIV-I DNA.

4. The method of claim 1 for the detection of a bacterial or genomic nucleic acid.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said detection is accomplished using a water soluble, detection oligonucleotide which can be directly or indirectly hybridized with said target nucleic acid.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said water soluble detection oligonucleotide is labeled with a specific binding material, and detection is accomplished from reaction of said specific binding material with a detectable receptor therefor.

7. The method of claim 1 carried out in a self-contained test device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said target nucleic acid is amplified prior to step A.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein amplification is carried out using a polymerase chain reaction with two primers complementary to the complementary strands of said target nucleic acid.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of said primers is biotinylated.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said amplified target nucleic acid is detected by reacting said amplified target nucleic acid with at avidin which is labeled with an enzyme, and contacting said reaction product with a dye-providing composition which provides a calorimetric or chemiluminescent signal in response to said enzyme.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said dye-providing composition further comprises from about 0.1 to about 3 weight % of a water insoluble macromolecular weight material which exhibits shear thinning to a viscosity of less than about 1 poise but with very little shear force or agitation.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said water insoluble macromolecular weight material is agarose.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said enzyme label is peroxidase.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said polymeric particles have an average diameter of from about 0.5 to about 2 micrometers.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said first polymer glass transition temperature is from about 70°

to about 175°

C., and said second polymer glass transition is from about 30 to about 120°

C. less than said first polymer glass transition temperature.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said adhesive is present in said composition at from about 2 to about 10 weight precent.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said first polymer comprises:

a. from about 0.1 to 60 weight percent of recurring units derived from one or more ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers having a reactive group selected from the group consisting of an active halogen, carboxy, amidine, activated 2-substituted ethylsulfonyl, activated 2-substituted ethylcarbonyl, an active ester, vinylsulfonyl, vinylcarbonyl, aldehyde, hydrazine, epoxy, amino and sulfhydryl,

b. from about 60 to about 99.9 weight percent of recurring units derived from one or more ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers which provide hydrophobicity, and

c. from 0 to about 15 weight percent of recurring units derived from one or more ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers other than those defined in (a) and (b), and

said second polymer comprises;

d. from about 55 to 100 weight percent of recurring units derived from one or more ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers which provide hydrophobicity,

e. from 0 to about 45 weight percent of recurring units derived from one or more ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers which form a water soluble homopolymer or which provide hydrophilicity, and

f. from 0 to about 15 weight percent of recurring units derived from one or more ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomers which provide crosslinking in said second polymer.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said polymeric particles comprise from about 2 to about 15 weight percent of component (a), from about 85 to about 98 weight percent of component (b), and from 0 to about 10 weight percent of component (c).

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the monomers of component (a) have reactive groups selected from the group consisting of an active halogen, carboxy, activated 2-substituted ethylsulfonyl and vinylsulfonyl.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein said composition is disposed in a defined region of said support.

22. A method for the amplification and detection of a target nucleic acid comprising:

A. amplifying a target nucleic acid using at least one biotinylated primer to form at least one amplified biotinylated target nucleic acid,

B. contacting said amplified biotinylated target nucleic acid with a nucleic acid test element comprising a sealable support having disposed thereon a nucleic acid reagent composition comprising a mixture of;

a. a nucleic acid reagent comprising;

particles composed of a first polymer having a glass transition temperature of at least about 70°

C., said particles having an average diameter of from about 0.1 to about 3 micrometers, and

an oligonucleotide covalently attached to said particles which is complementary to said target nucleic acid, and

b. a water insoluble adhesive comprising a second polymer which has a glass transition temperature which is at least about 30°

C. less than the glass transition temperature of said first polymer,

said polymeric adhesive being present in said composition at from about 1 to about 20 weight percent,

wherein said sealable support has hydrophilic surface groups provided by a treatment selected from the group consisting of corona discharge treatment, chromic acid treatment and treatment with a radio frequency electromagnetic field in the presence of a reactive gas, and or said hydrophilic surface groups are provided by a hydrophilic subbing layer on which said composition is disposed,

to form a water insoluble immobilized hybridized product of said amplified biotinylated target nucleic acid and said nucleic acid reagent on said element, and

C. detecting the presence of said immobilized hybridized product by complexation of said amplified biotinylated target nucleic acid with a labeled conjugate of avidin as an indication of the presence of said target nucleic acid.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said labeled conjugate of avidin comprises an enzyme, and detection of the hybridized product is accomplished by contacting it with a composition which provides a colorimetric or chemiluminescent signal in the presence of said enzyme.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said signal providing composition comprises:

a leuco dye which provides a dye in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and peroxidase, and from about 0.1 to about 3 weight % of agarose.