Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) Probes

Relying on professional technology and advanced equipment, BOC Sciences focuses on the development of LNA probes to provide high-quality nucleic acid probe synthesis services and related product development. Our team has optimized the synthesis process, improved the production flow, and has the ability to produce from OD grade to gram scale to best meet our customers' needs.

What are Locked Nucleic Acid Probes?

LNA (locked nucleic acid) has a strong affinity for DNA, RNA and increased Tm value, thus allowing the design of probes with shorter sequences, increased sensitivity to single base mismatches, and application to SNP genotyping for the identification of 1-base differences. Compared to traditional nucleic acid probes, LNA probes have high specificity and sensitivity and are commonly used for the detection and analysis of DNA or RNA sequences. It can bind to target-specific sequences to improve the specificity of hybridization. This high specificity and sensitivity make LNA probes highly accurate in biological experiments such as detection of gene mutations, gene expression, and nucleic acid sequence analysis.

Fig 1. Main principle of DNA detection by short LNA/DNA capture probes. (Miotke et al., 2015)

BOC Sciences' LNA Probe Synthesis Service

When creating LNA probes, BOC Sciences researchers select nucleic acid sequences with high specificity and sensitivity, and then bind them to the lock nucleic acid. This binding allows the LNA probe to more accurately recognize the target nucleic acid sequence and better bind to it. We can provide customized oligo synthesis services according to the customer's design sequence or LNA modification requirements, such as modification sites, quantity, and phosphorylation needs.

The LNA probe parameters we can provide include the following.

• Optimization of LNA Probes
• Optimization of LNA modification positions
  The binding affinity and specificity of the probe can be optimized by introducing LNA modifications at different positions (end, middle or intercalation position of the probe).
• Optimization of LNA modification density
  Adjusting the density of LNA modifications can balance the stability and flexibility of the probe. Optimize the density of LNA modifications according to experimental requirements to obtain the best probe performance.
• Optimization of probe length
  Longer probes may have higher sensitivity, but may also introduce non-specific hybridization. By optimizing the length of the probe, the requirements of specificity and sensitivity can be balanced.

Benefits of LNA Probes

• Thermal Stability and Specificity
  LNA chemistries for real-time quantitative PCR probes enhance the thermal stability of the double-stranded body while enhancing the specificity of hybridization to the target sequence. Enhanced hybridization performance can significantly expand the environmental limits of experimental assays while allowing more complex experiments to be performed in a single tube. The optimal melting point and hybridization specificity can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the LNA base in the probe.
• Flexibility
  Due to the enhanced hybridization characteristics of LNA and its effect on melting point temperature, real-time quantitative PCR probes containing LNA in shorter lengths allow for increased design flexibility.
• High Affinity
  LNA probes bind to target sequences with high affinity.

Application of LNA Probes

• Gene Expression Analysis
• Gene Knockout and Targeted Therapy
• Genome Analysis
• Microbial Detection
• Genetic Variation Detection

If you have a request for oligonucleotide synthesis, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

1. Miotke L, et al. Enzyme-free detection of mutations in cancer DNA using synthetic oligonucleotide probes and fluorescence microscopy[J]. PLoS One, 2015, 10(8): e0136720.