title: Helicase-dependent amplification of nucleic acids.
abstract: Helicase-dependent amplification (HDA) is a novel method for the isothermal in vitro amplification of nucleic acids. The HDA reaction selectively amplifies a target sequence by extension of two oligonucleotide primers. Unlike the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), HDA uses a helicase enzyme to separate the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strands, rather than heat denaturation. This allows DNA amplification without the need for thermal cycling. The helicase used in HDA is a helicase super family II protein obtained from a thermophilic organism, Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis (TteUvrD). This thermostable helicase is capable of unwinding blunt-end nucleic acid substrates at elevated temperatures (60° to 65°C). The HDA reaction can also be coupled with reverse transcription for ribonucleic acid (RNA) amplification. The products of this reaction can be detected during the reaction using fluorescent probes when incubations are conducted in a fluorimeter. Alternatively, products can be detected after amplification using a disposable amplicon containment device that contains an embedded lateral flow strip.
authors: BioHelix Corporation, Beverly, Massachusetts.
authors: Yun
authors: Y
authors: Cao
authors: BioHelix Corporation, Beverly, Massachusetts.
authors: Hyun-Jin
authors: HJ
authors: Kim
authors: BioHelix Corporation, Beverly, Massachusetts.
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: BioHelix Corporation, Beverly, Massachusetts.
authors: Huimin
authors: H
authors: Kong
authors: BioHelix Corporation, Beverly, Massachusetts.
authors: Bertrand
authors: B
authors: Lemieux
mesh_terms: D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000378:metabolism*; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004265:DNA Helicases
keywords: isothermal amplification; lateral flow strip; nucleic acid quantitation