Combinatorial nucleobase oligomers comprising universal base analogues and methods for making and using same

摘要

The invention relates to insulating combinatorial nucleobase oligomers that comprise universal base analogs, where the oligomers are formed by the ligation of two or more oligomer "blocks" via a covalent linkage. Universal bases may serve to insulate specifically binding nucleobases from the effects of the covalent linker region joining two oligomer blocks together, so that the universal bases at least partially negate the Tm penalty caused by the covalent linkage, effective to reduce the required minimal length of the oligomer blocks and the combinatorial oligomer. The resulting insulating nucleobase combinatorial oligomers find use in any hybridization-based application, including use as probes and primers. The combinatorial oligomers of the present invention provide advantages over existing combinatorial oligomer systems currently known in the art.