Exponential isothermal self-sustained replication of an rna enzyme
AssigneeThe Scripps Research Institute
InventorsGerald F. Joyce, Bianca J. Lam
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention provides nucleic acid molecules that catalyze their own replication and undergo exponential amplification at a constant temperature and in the absence of proteins or other biological components, such as those employed in other amplification reactions, e.g., proteins including DNA or RNA polymerase and a method of detect a selected molecule using said nucleic acid.
Claims23
A method to detect a selected molecule in a sample, comprising:
- a) contacting a sample suspected of having the selected molecule, a pair of cross-catalytic nucleic acid molecules, wherein at least one of the pair comprises a ligand binding domain for the selected molecule, and substrates for each of the pair, under conditions that result in selected molecule-dependent self-replication of at least one of the pair and exponential amplification of at least one of the pair that is dependent on the self-replication and optionally dependent on the selected molecule;
- and
- b) detecting or determining the presence or amount of the amplified nucleic acid molecule, thereby detecting or determining the presence or amount of the selected molecule in the sample.
A composition comprising a pair of cross-replicating nucleic acid enzyme molecules that are capable of exponential amplification in the presence of substrates therefor and in the absence of thermal cycling and proteins or other biological molecules.
An isolated cross-replicating nucleic acid molecule comprising a catalytic domain and a ligand binding domain.
23-28. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.