Generation and amplification of nucleic acids from ribonucleic acids

US6300069A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• QIAGEN GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Andreas Missel · Mülheim an der Ruhr, DE
• Dirk Löffert · Mülheim an der Ruhr, DE
• Jie Kang · Bonn, DE
• Christian Korfhage · Hilden, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 3, 1999
• Grant date: Oct 9, 2001
• Expiry date: May 3, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C12Q1/686
• WIPO field: Biotechnology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Novel compositions and methods useful for the generation of nucleic acids from a ribonucleic acid template and further nucleic acid replication are disclosed. It is shown that the generation and amplification of nucleic acids by methods that utilize two or more different polymerases, such as reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), are dramatically more sensitive and efficient in the presence of a homopolymeric nucleic acid. Homopolymeric nucleic acids have been found to reduce or negate the inhibitory effect reverse transcriptases have on DNA polymerase activity. It is demonstrated that this inhibition-relieving effect of homopolymeric nucleic acids is general in nature; independent of the chemical species of homopolymer used, or the chemical composition of the polymerization reaction mixture.