Osaka City University

Akira Tachibana

Toshizumi Tanabe

A method in which a mutant gene present in a gene pool mixedly with a large number of wild-type genes can be simply, inexpensively and sensitively detected is developed and provided. A clamping probe that is connected to a target nucleic acid molecule in two regions of first and second target nucleic acid complementary regions so that a wild-type target nucleic acid molecule and a mutant-type target nucleic acid molecule can be distinguished from each other depending on a difference in complementarity to these target nucleic acid molecules is provided.

Clamping probe

Provided are an improved double-stranded nucleic acid molecule involved in gene expression control mediated by a gene silencing mechanism, a method of producing the molecule, and a pharmaceutical composition comprising the double-stranded nucleic acid molecule. The double-stranded nucleic acid molecule for gene expression control comprises an antisense strand having a length of 18 to 28 nucleotides and a sense strand including a complementary moiety composed of a sequence sufficiently complementary to the antisense strand and a protruding single-stranded 5'-end moiety having a length of 2 to 100 nucleotides. The sense strand and the antisense strand form base pairs via the complementary moiety. The method produces such a double-stranded nucleic acid molecule, and the pharmaceutical composition contains such a double-stranded nucleic acid molecule as an active ingredient.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Akira Tachibana