Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
185 words
A method of conducting nucleic acid amplification control reactions in a single reaction chamber comprising: providing an internal control polynucleotide, internal control primers, a non-extendable oligonucleotide or oligonucleotide analog complementary to the internal control polynucleotide, a target polynucleotide, target primers, a nucleic acid polymerase having 5'→3' nuclease activity, nucleotide 5'triphosphates; self-quenching fluorescence probes including reporter and quencher moieties, said probes existing in at least one single-stranded conformation when unhybridized wherein said quencher dye quenches the fluorescence of said reporter dye and at least one conformation when hybridized to said polynucleotides, wherein the fluorescence of the reporter dye is unquenched, the fluorescence intensity of reporter dye being greater than the fluorescence intensity of quencher dye when probe is hybridized to polynucleotide; and the steps of hybridizing said target primers to said target polynucleotide; hybridizing said self-quenching fluorescence probes to the internal control polynucleotide and/or the target polynucleotide; hybridizing said internal control primers to said internal control polynucleotide; amplifying the target polynucleotide by PCR, whereby target polynucleotide amplification products are produced; and amplifying the internal control polynucleotide by PCR, whereby internal control polynucleotide amplification products are produced.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
185 words
A method of conducting nucleic acid amplification control reactions in a single reaction chamber comprising: providing an internal control polynucleotide, internal control primers, a non-extendable oligonucleotide or oligonucleotide analog complementary to the internal control polynucleotide, a target polynucleotide, target primers, a nucleic acid polymerase having 5'→3' nuclease activity, nucleotide 5'triphosphates; self-quenching fluorescence probes including reporter and quencher moieties, said probes existing in at least one single-stranded conformation when unhybridized wherein said quencher dye quenches the fluorescence of said reporter dye and at least one conformation when hybridized to said polynucleotides, wherein the fluorescence of the reporter dye is unquenched, the fluorescence intensity of reporter dye being greater than the fluorescence intensity of quencher dye when probe is hybridized to polynucleotide; and the steps of hybridizing said target primers to said target polynucleotide; hybridizing said self-quenching fluorescence probes to the internal control polynucleotide and/or the target polynucleotide; hybridizing said internal control primers to said internal control polynucleotide; amplifying the target polynucleotide by PCR, whereby target polynucleotide amplification products are produced; and amplifying the internal control polynucleotide by PCR, whereby internal control polynucleotide amplification products are produced.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said nucleic acid polymerase digests said probes during amplification to separate said reporter dye from said quencher dye.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 wherein a first self-quenching fluorescence probe is complementary to the internal control polynucleotide and a second self-quenching fluorescence probe is complementary to the target polynucleotide.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the reporter dye of the first self-quenching fluorescence probe is spectrally resolvable from the reporter dye of the second self-quenching fluorescence probe.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1 wherein a product of the nucleic acid amplification of the internal control polynucleotide is spectrally resolvable from the products of the nucleic acid amplification of the target polynucleotide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the products of the nucleic acid amplification of the internal control polynucleotide and target polynucleotide are measured and quantitated by end-point analysis.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the products of nucleic acid amplification of the internal control polynucleotide and target polynucleotide are measured and quantitated by real-time analysis.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the products of nucleic acid amplification of the internal control polynucleotide and target polynucleotide are measured by fluorescence detection.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said nucleic acid polymerase is a thermal-stable polymerase with exonuclease activity.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said reporter is a xanthene dye.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said xanthene dye is a fluorescein dye.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 11 wherein said fluorescein dye is selected from the group consisting of ##STR4## where L is a linker, and including substituted forms thereof.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said quencher is selected from the group consisting of ##STR5## where L is a linker, and including substituted forms thereof.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said reporter dye is separated from said quencher dye by at least 12 nucleotides.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said reporter dye is attached at the 5' terminus or 3' terminus of the self-quenching fluorescence probe.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said quencher dye is attached at the 5' terminus or 3' terminus of the self-quenching fluorescence probe.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said non-extending oligonucleotide or nucleic acid analog complementary to the internal control polynucleotide is selected from the group consisting of ##STR6## where R is fluoro, chloro, amino, --OCH 3 , --OCH 2 CH═CH 2 , and --OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 , ##STR7## including substituted forms thereof.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
57 words
A kit of reagents for nucleic acid amplification comprising: an internal control polynucleotide, internal control primers, a non-extending oligonucleotide or nucleic acid analog complementary to the internal control polynucleotide, target primers, a nucleic acid polymerase having 5'→3' nuclease activity, self-quenching fluorescence probes including reporter and quencher moieties, nucleotide 5'-triphosphates; and other reagents necessary for nucleic acid amplification.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
57 words
A kit of reagents for nucleic acid amplification comprising: an internal control polynucleotide, internal control primers, a non-extending oligonucleotide or nucleic acid analog complementary to the internal control polynucleotide, target primers, a nucleic acid polymerase having 5'→3' nuclease activity, self-quenching fluorescence probes including reporter and quencher moieties, nucleotide 5'-triphosphates; and other reagents necessary for nucleic acid amplification.