Our Proprietary INA® Technology
PentaBase’s PCR products and services are based on our proprietary Intercalating Nucleic Acid (INA®) technology. INA®-based oligonucleotides have superior performances in a wide range of PCR applications compared to standard DNA oligonucleotides.
Features and Advantages
We have developed a range of INA®-based oligos that can be ordered as customised products in addition to providing the technologically backbone of our IVD PCR assays. INA® oligos include HydrolEasy® and EasyBeacon™ probes, SuPrimers™, EpiPrimers™ and BaseBlockers™.
The advantages of INA®-based oligos and assays include:
- Increased target affinity and specificity
- Reduced off-target binding
- Reduced primer dimer formation
- Lower background fluorescence of dual-labeled probes at all temperatures – resulting in higher signal-to-noise ratio
- Improved detection of low frequency single nucleotide variants (SNVs)
- Direct evaluation of DNA methylation by qPCR without prior sample pre-treatment
INA® Oligonucleotides
INA® oligos are composed of standard nucleotides with one or more covalently linked intercalating pseudo-nucleotides (IPNs). The IPN molecule is a hydrophobic base analogue that is incorporated into the oligo without replacing any existing nucleotides.
INA® is the only DNA platform technology that works by increasing the π-stacking effect of adjacent nucleobases in the formed DNA double strand. Thus, addition of IPN molecules to the oligo results in increased sharing of π-electrons between the DNA nucleobase aromatic rings. The result is a significantly higher target affinity and specificity of the IPN-modified oligo compared to standard DNA oligos.
The hydrophobic nature of the IPN molecule in addition leads to intra-oligo interactions between IPN molecules which ensures temperature-independent quenching of unbound dual-labeled probes. This results in significantly reduced background fluorescense of our INA®-based HydrolEasy™EasyBeacon™ and EasyBeacon® probes.
Publications
Intercalating nucleic acids containing insertions of 1-O-(1-pyrenylmethyl)glycerol: stabilisation of dsDNA and discrimination of DNA over RNA
Christensen & Pedersen – Nucleic Acid Res. – 2002
NMR structure determination of a modified DNA oligonucleotide containing a new intercalating nucleic acid
Christensen et al. – Bioconjug Chem – 2004
Intercalating nucleic acids: the influence of linker length and intercalator type on their duplex stabilities
Christensen et al. – Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids – 2004
Our commitment to you
We want to be a reliable and responsive partner for your business needs and we are dedicated to providing exceptional service and support to ensure your success. Use our contact form for placing orders or submitting any inquiries.