title: Zip nucleic acids are potent hydrolysis probes for quantitative PCR.
abstract: Zip nucleic acids (ZNAs) are oligonucleotides conjugated with cationic spermine units that increase affinity for their target. ZNAs were recently shown to enable specific and sensitive reactions when used as primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse-transcription. Here, we report their use as quantitative PCR hydrolysis probes. Ultraviolet duplex melting data demonstrate that attachment of cationic residues to the 3' end of an oligonucleotide does not alter its ability to discriminate nucleotides nor the destabilization pattern relative to mismatch location in the oligonucleotide sequence. The stability increase provided by the cationic charges allows the use of short dual-labeled probes that significantly improve single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping. Longer ZNA probes were shown to display reduced background fluorescence, therefore, generating greater sensitivity and signal level as compared to standard probes. ZNA probes thus provide broad flexibility in assay design and also represent an effective alternative to minor groove binder- and locked nucleic-acid-containing probes.
authors.forename: Clément
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paris
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Moreau
authors.forename: Gaëlle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deglane
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Voirin
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Erbacher
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lenne-Samuel
mesh_terms: D020137:Base Pair Mismatch; D017931:DNA Primers; D006868:Hydrolysis; D009691:Nucleic Acid Denaturation; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000737:chemistry*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D013096:Spermine / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D013096:Spermine