A nucleic acid diagnostic method using riboprobes, rnase digestion, and molecular weight exclusion chromatography

摘要

This invention is drawn to improved methods for detecting particular nucleic acid sequences via nucleic acid hybridization. Disclosed is a diagnostic method wherein detectably labeled riboprobes are hybridized in solution to complementary nucleic acid sequences encoded by target nucleic acid molecules. Following hybridization, RNAse digestion is used to degrade unhybridized probe molecules, after which chromatographic separation is employed to isolate probe-target hybrids. This method improves the detection limit of nucleic acid hybridization and is generally useful in medical diagnostics, forensics, and molecular biology research.