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Oligonucleotides

An oligonucleotide, as the name suggests, is a group of nucleotides, either RNA or DNA, that has twenty or fewer base pairs. They are exellent probes for detecting specific RNA or DNA sequences because they readily bind to their complements on the longer strand. Several detection procedures use oligonucleotides, including DNA microarrays, Southern blots, and FISH tests. They are sometimes referred to as oligos.

By binding to a complement on a long chain, oligonucleotides can act as amplifiers of that segment of DNA; they can seek out and prepare sections of DNA for copying by the addition of nucleotides. When used in this way, they are often called primers.

Antisense oligonucleotides are those that prevent translation of complementary RNA by binding to sections. These are of great interest in cancer research, and are currently being used to bind to RNA that produces telomerase.

Oligonucleotides are promising for use in a variety of strand-based fields, not just in biology. Primarily, though, their current use is in in-vivo testing and in immune modulation and targeted treatments like cancer.

Web Resources On Oligonucleotides

A Simple Solution for Oligonucleotide Design
High-Throughput Purification System for Oligonucleotides Improves Synthetic Gene Production

Book Resources On Oligonucleotides

Oligonucleotide Synthesis: Methods and Applications by Piet Herdewijn (Ed)
Protocols for Oligonucleotides and Analogs: Synthesis and Properties by Sudhir Agrawal (Ed)

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