Solid carriers with peptide nucleic acid probes and methods for regeneration

A solid carrier comprising at least two single stranded peptide nucleic acid probes of different base sequence covalently bound to the solid carrier at separate and distinct regions;

• wherein the probes have the general formula (I):
• wherein:
• n is at least 2,
• each of L1–Ln is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxy, (C1–C4) alkanoyl, naturally occurring nucleobases, non-naturally occurring nucleobases, aromatic moieties, DNA intercalators, nucleobase-binding groups and reporter ligands, at least one of L1–Ln being a naturally occurring nucleobase, a non-naturally occurring nucleobase, a DNA intercalator, or a nucleobase-binding group;
• each of A1 through An is a single bond, a methylene group or a group of formula (IIa) or (IIb):
• wherein in (IIa) or (IIb):
• X is O, S, Se, NR3, CH2 or C(CH3)2;
• Y is a single bond, O, S or NR4;
• each of p and q is an integer from 1 to 5, the sum p+q being not more than 10;
• each of r and ss is zero or an integer from 1 to 5, the sum r+ss being not more than 10;
• each R1 and R2 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1–C4) alkyl which may be hydroxy- or alkoxy- or alkylthio-substituted, hydroxy, alkoxy, alkylthio, amino and halogen;
• and
• each R3 and R4 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1–C4)alkyl, hydroxy- or alkoxy- or alkylthio-substituted (C1–C4)alkyl, hydroxy, alkoxy, alkylthio and amino;
• and wherein in formula (1)
• each of B1–Bn is N or R3N30, where R3 is as defined above;
• each of C1–Cn is CR6R7, CHR6CHR7 or CR6R7CH2, wherein R6 is hydrogen and R7 is selected from the group consisting of the side chains of naturally occurring alpha amino acids, or R6 and R7 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C2–C6) alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl, hydroxy, (C2–C6) alkoxy, (C2–C6) alkylthio, NR3R4 and SR5, where R3 and R4 are as defined above, and R5 is hydrogen, (C2–C6)alkyl, hydroxy-, alkoxy-, or alkylthio-substituted (C2–C6)alkyl, or R6 and R7 taken together complete an alicyclic or heterocyclic system;
• each of D1–Dn is CR6R7, CH2CR6R7 or CHR6CHR7, where R6 and R7 are as defined above;
• each of G1–Gn-1 is
• in any orientation, wherein R3 is as defined above;
• Q is —CO2H, —CONR′R″, —SO3H or SO2NR′R″ or an activated derivative of —CO2H, —SO3H;
• and
• I is —NHR′″R″″ or —NR′″C(O)R″″,
• where R′, R″, R′″ and R″″ are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, amino protecting groups, reporter ligands, intercalators, chelators, peptides, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, steroids, oligonucleotides and soluble and non-soluble polymers, wherein C and D can optionally be CHR6(CH2)sssCHR7 where sss is from 0 to 2 and wherein;
• reactive groups of the peptide nucleic acid probe and reactive groups of the solid carrier are covalently bound to each other by means of a linker that is more than 15 atoms and less than 200 atoms long.