Method for amplification and expression of nucleic acids in solid media and its application for nucleic acid cloning and diagnostics
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A method of detecting a nucleic acid sequence in a sample that may contain said sequence comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a cell-free, enzymatic, exponential amplification system;
(b) forming a liquid mixture of the sample and said amplification system;
(c) entrapping said liquid within solid surfaces comprising a thin layer;
(d) incubating said trapped mixture under conditions promoting synthesis of an exponentially amplified nucleic acid product from said nucleic acid sequence; and
(e) screening to detect said amplified product,wherein the average distance between the nearest solid surfaces is smaller than the distance which the synthesized nucleic acid product can migrate by diffusion during the reaction, andwherein copies of said nucleic acid sequence, if present in said sample, are sufficiently widely distributed in said liquid mixture to produce separate, detectable colonies of the synthesized nucleic acid product.
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Abstract
Amplification and/or expression of nucleic acids is carried out in a medium immobilized by using an organic and/or inorganic solid matrix penetrating the medium and having a porous, fibrous, reticulated, coiled, capillary, lamellar or folded texture and which includes the components of a cell-free enzyme system of exponential amplification of nucleic acids and/or components of a cell-free enzyme system of nucleic acid expression. In this medium, the progeny of each molecule (clone) and the expression products remain in the same zone of the reaction volume where the matrix molecule was initially located. The method permits cloning of nucleic acids in vitro as well as detection of solitary nuleic acid molecules in the sample studied.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a nucleic acid sequence in a sample that may contain said sequence comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a cell-free, enzymatic, exponential amplification system; (b) forming a liquid mixture of the sample and said amplification system; (c) entrapping said liquid within solid surfaces comprising a thin layer; (d) incubating said trapped mixture under conditions promoting synthesis of an exponentially amplified nucleic acid product from said nucleic acid sequence; and (e) screening to detect said amplified product, wherein the average distance between the nearest solid surfaces is smaller than the distance which the synthesized nucleic acid product can migrate by diffusion during the reaction, and wherein copies of said nucleic acid sequence, if present in said sample, are sufficiently widely distributed in said liquid mixture to produce separate, detectable colonies of the synthesized nucleic acid product. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of detecting a nucleic acid sequence in a sample that may contain said sequence comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing an immobilized medium, said medium including (i) an aqueous liquid phase that includes a cell-free, enzymatic, exponential nucleic acid amplification system; and (ii) a solid, water-insoluble matrix having an average pore size ranging from 100 μ
m to 5 nm, completely entrapping said liquid phase,(b) distributing in said aqueous liquid phase nucleic acid molecules, at least one of which may comprise a template for said amplification system; (c) incubating said immobilized medium containing said distributed molecules under conditions promoting synthesis of an exponentially amplified nucleic acid product by said amplification system from said at least one template; and (d) screening said colonies, wherein said matrix is stable under said conditions, and wherein said step of distributing separates individual templates, resulting in nucleic acid amplification to form at least one separate, detectable colony of said nucleic acid product in said medium. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of detecting a nucleic acid sequence in a sample that may contain said sequence comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a first solid, water insoluble matrix layer having an average pore size ranging from 100 μ
m to 5 nm and containing a first portion of the components of a cell-free enzymatic, exponential nucleic acid amplification system;(b) providing a second solid, water-insoluble matrix layer having an average pore size ranging from 100 μ
m to 5 nm and containing a second portion of the components of said amplification system, said first and second portions together comprising said amplification system;(c) distributing on at least one of said matrix layers nucleic acid molecules, at least one of which may comprise a template for said amplification system; (d) contacting said first and second matrix layers, sandwiching said nucleic acid molecules between said layers; (e) incubating said first and second matrix layers while maintaining contact therebetween under conditions promoting synthesis of an exponentially amplified nucleic acid product by said amplification system from said at last one template; and (f) screening said nucleic acid product, wherein said first and second matrix layers are stable under said conditions;
wherein said conditions cause at least said first portion or said second portion of said amplification to diffuse from one of said matrix layers into the other, together with said nucleic acid molecules; and
wherein said distribution of nucleic acid molecules separates individual templates, resulting in nucleic acid amplification to form at least one separate, detectable colony of said nucleic acid product in at least one of said first and second matrix layers. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification