A process for staining proteins and nucleic acids wherein the stain is a suspension of colloidal metal particles and the proteins and nucleic acids are visualized as a colored signal localized at the binding site of the colloidal metal particles to the proteins or nucleic acids or quantitatively determined at this site following art-known spectrophotometric procedures.

The invention provides a method for diagnosis of genetic abnormalities or other genetic conditions which can be readily automated. The method is used to determine the presence or absence of a target sequence in a sample of denatured nucleic acid and entails hybridizing the sample with a probe complementary to a diagnostic portion of the target sequence (the diagnostic probe), and with a probe complementary to a nucleotide sequence contiguous with the diagnostic portion (the contiguous probe), un...

Agent for the removal of nucleic acids and/or endotoxin from a liquid containing the nucleic acids and/or endotoxin and further useful substances (e.g. proteins, hormones, etc.), which comprises as an active ingredient a chitosan having a low molecular weight, particularly that having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.01 to 5 (dl/g) and further a colloid equivalent of not less than 2 meq/g of evaporated residue.

Novel oligonucleotide conjugates are provided, where oligonucleotides are joined through a linking arm to a hydrophobic moiety. The resulting conjugates are more efficient in membrane transport, so as to be capable of crossing the membrane and effectively modulating a transcriptional system. In this way, the compositions can be used in vitro and in vivo, for studying cellular processes, protecting mammalian hosts from pathogens, and the like.

Linear or branched oligonucleotide multimers useful as amplifiers in biochemical assays which comprise (1) at least one first single-stranded oligonucleotide unit that is complementary to a single-stranded oligonucleotide sequence of interest, and (2) a multiplicity of second single-stranded oligonucleotide units that are complementary to a single-stranded labeled oligonucleotide. Amplified sandwich nucleic acid hybridizations and immunoassays using the multimers are exemplified.

Compounds of the formula ##STR1## are phosphorylating reagents which react with acylatable hydrogen atoms with elimination of the amine HNR.sup.3 R.sup.4. The resulting compounds are oxidized to give the corresponding phosphate, thiophosphate or selenophosphate derivatives, and the radicals R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are then split off by means of bases. The chemical nature of the radicals R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 accordingly depends on the requirements for these cleavage reactions.

Hybridization assay probes specific for Mycobacterium gordonae and no other Mycobacterium species.

A process for the purification of DNA and the like comprises a housing having walls forming a reservoir having a chamber for containing a buffer solution, means for circulating a buffer through the reservoir, a disposable cassette within said chamber having first means including a gel for defining a first path extending between an inlet end and an outlet end, a well for introducing a bacterial sample into the path at said inlet end thereof, and a second path intersecting the first path via an el...

The present invention is directed to a method of achieving RecA protein facilitated amplification of a double-stranded DNA target sequence having first and second complementary strands, each strand with 5' and 3' ends. The method involves complexing a primer complementary to a 5' end region of the first strand and a primer complementary to a 5' end region of the second strand with RecA protein in the presence of ATP-.gamma.-S. The complexed primers are then reacted in a mixture also containing t...

The base sequence of large single stranded nucleic acids is determined by retarding the migration rate of a nucleic acid fragment of n bases below a migration rate which would otherwise be the same as the migration rate of a nucleic acid fragment of n bases in a polyacrylamide gel under continuous field gel electrophoresis. A plurality of sequences of electric field pulses is applied to the gel in one dimension.