Catalytic nucleic acid and methods of use
AssigneeIntelligene Ltd.
InventorsNathan Asher, Yaron Tikochinsky, Andy Ellington
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nucleic acid molecule is provided which is initially catalytically inactive but which can complex with a specific co-factor, e.g., a nucleic acid molecule or a non-nucleic acid molecule, to form a catalytically active nucleic acid molecule. The catalytically active nucleic acid molecule can be used to detect the presence of a non-nucleic acid co-factor or of a nucleic acid co-factor using the nucleic acid sequence of the present invention.
Claims14
A proto-nucleozyme of a nucleozyme, the nucleozyme having a catalytic activity under a set of conditions, the proto-nucleozyme differing from the nucleozyme in a sequence of one or more nucleotides that is present in the nucleozyme and is absent in the proto-nucleozyme or replaced in the proto-nucleozyme by a different sequence of nucleotides, the proto-nucleozyme not having the catalytic activity of the nucleozyme under said set of conditions, and the proto-nucleozyme having said catalytic activity in the presence of a non-nucleic acid co-factor,
- wherein the non-nucleic acid cofactor is not a nucleotide, nucleoside, or a derivative thereof, and wherein the non-nucleic acid cofactor is a molecule which chemically interacts with nucleotides to provide the component missing in the proto-nucleozyme to convert the proto-nucleozyme into-a catalytically active nucleozyme.
A proto-nucleozyme of a nucleozyme, the nucleozyme having a catalytic activity under a set of conditions, the proto-nucleozyme differing from the nucleozyme in a sequence of one or more nucleotides that is present in the nucleozyme and is absent in the proto-nucleozyme or is replaced in the proto-nucleozyme by another sequence of nucleotides, the proto-nucleozyme not having the catalytic activity of the nucleozyme under said set of conditions, and having the catalytic activity of the nucleozyme in the presence of a co-factor that is a nucleic acid molecule or a nucleic acid sequence within a nucleic acid molecule, from a heterologous source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.