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What's new: Ligation‐based DNA diagnostics
Author(s) -
Landegren Ulf
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.950151112
Subject(s) - nucleic acid , ligation , dna ligase , ligase chain reaction , dna , sequencing by ligation , computational biology , biology , gene , polymerase chain reaction , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , genetics , base sequence , genomic library , multiplex polymerase chain reaction
A number of novel gene detection techniques all revolve around the ligation of synthetic nucleic acid probes. In such ligase‐assisted gene detection reactions, specific DNA or RNA sequences are investigated by using them as guides for the covalent joining of pairs of probe molecules. The probes are designed to hybridize immediately next to each other on the target nucleic acid strand. Demonstration of ligated probes results in highly specific detection of and efficient distinction between similar sequence variants under standard reaction conditions. Accordingly, the principle has been applied in automated genetic screening procedures. Ligation reactions are also integral to a number of amplification procedures and they will be of value in an expanding range of genetic analyses.