Molecular beacon probes

Molecular beacon is a fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide chain. It is generally composed of three parts: (1) Loop region: consisting of 15 to 30 nucleotides that can specifically bind to the target molecule; (2) Stem region: generally consists of 5 to 8 base pairs that can undergo reversible dissociation; (3) Fluorescent and quencher group: molecular beacon 5' fluorophore at 5' end, covalently bound to a fluorescent dye, 3' end covalently attached to 3' bursting agent (non-fluorescent) dye. When no target molecule is present, the quencher group nearby the beacon fluorescence leads to fluorescence quenching. After binding to the target molecule, the molecular beacon's spatial configuration changed, resulting in fluorescence recovery. Due to its high specificity and sensitivity, molecular beacon technology has been widely used in clinical diagnosis, genetic testing, environmental monitoring, live-cell imaging, gene chips, biosensing, etc. Recently, circular amplification applications adapted the molecular beacons to improve detection sensitivity. Molecular beacon has also become a popular tool for detecting various target molecules.

Fig.1 Molecular Beacon. (David P, 2010)

BOC Sciences offers molecular beacon structure probes that combine dye and quencher. The following types of probes are available, including:

• All molecular beacons were purified by dual-HPLC and quality-controlled by HPLC analysis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
• The maximum length of 3' DABCYL-labeled molecular beacons is 45 bases.
• According to user requirements, each molecular beacon's signal-to-noise ratio (STNR) is determined by hybridizing each molecular beacon to its complementary sequence compared to background fluorescence. For FAM-labeled molecular beacons, STNR > 15; for other dyes, STNR > 10.
• BNA, 2' O-Methyl RNA molecular beacon is available.
• Deliver lyophilized in tube.

Contact us for other probe types!