Nucleotide analogs for nucleic acid labeling and detection

Claim 1

In the processof detecting the presence of a target polynucleotide, said process comprising incorporating a deoxyribonucleotide, modified by the attachment thereto of a biotin, into a polynucleotide complementary to said target polynucleotide; hybridizing said complementary polynucleotide to said target polynucleotide; and detecting the presence of said biotin; the improvement comprising using, for said modified deoxyribonucleotide, compound of the form (d)BTP--NH--L--X, where TP represents triphosphate, and (D)BTP represents dATP, dCTP, dGTP, 3'-deoxy ATP, 3'-doexy CTP, 3'-deoxy GTP, 2',3'-dideoxy ATP, 2',3'-dideoxy CTP or 2',3'-dideoxy GTP; L is bonded through the N of NH to the N 6 position of B when B represents adenosine, to the N 4 position of B when B represents cytidine, and to the N 2 position of B when B represents guanosine; L presents either (CH 2 ) n , where 1≦n≦12, (CH 2 ) n NH--CO-(CH 2 ) m , where 2≦n+m≦24, (CH 2 ) n O--CO--(CH 2 ) m , where 2≦n+m≦24, or (CH 2 ) n S--CO--(CH 2 ) m , where 2≦n+m≦24; and X represents ##STR1## where Y represents either NH, O, or S.