Abstract
The hybridization between two complementary strands of nucleic acid is the basis for a number of applications in DNA and RNA analysis, including in vivo RNA monitoring, microarrays, SNPs detection, and so on. The short oligonucleotide probes form Watson/Crick base pairs (A-T and G-C) with the analyzed nucleic acid. Molecular beacon (MB) probe is one of the most advantageous tools for nucleic acid analysis in real-time. A traditional MB probe consists of a DNA strand folded in hairpin motif with a fluorophore attached to the 5'end and a quencher attached to the 3' end. The loop segment is complementary to the analytes. Upon hybridization to a complementary single-stranded nucleic acid, MB probe switches to the elongated conformation, which separates the fluorophore from the quencher, resulting in high fluorescence signal. However, DNA or RNA folded in hairpin motifs are difficult to analyze by a conventional MB probes. Inefficient formation of the duplex between the secondary analyte and the MB probe results in low or undetectable fluorescent signal. In this project, we developed a tripartite probe consisting of one MB probe and two adaptor strands to genotype single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in DNA hairpin motifs in real-time fluorescent assays. Each adaptor strand contains a fragment complementary to the analyte and a fragment complementary to an MB probe. One adaptor strand hybridizes to the analyte and unwinds its secondary structure, and the other strand forms stable complex only with the fully complementary analyte sequence. The tri-component probe promises to simplify nucleic acid analysis at ambient temperatures in such application as in vivo RNA monitoring and isothermal detection of specific DNA/RNA targets.
Notes
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Thesis Completion
2011
Semester
Spring
Advisor
Kolpashchikov, Dmitry
Degree
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
College
College of Medicine
Degree Program
Molecular Biology and Microbiology
Subjects
Dissertations, Academic -- Medicine;Medicine -- Dissertations, Academic
Format
Identifier
CFH0003768
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Document Type
Honors in the Major Thesis
Recommended Citation
Nguyen, Camha, "A tripartile biosensor for real-time SNSs detection in DNA hairpin motif" (2011). HIM 1990-2015. 1170.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1170