Once commonly used, the hazards have now outweighed the benefits.
Oligonucleotides have been a major contributor in biological and forensic research for years now. Certain applications such as taking on the role of a sequence binding agent to reveal the present of a DNA sequence have provided researchers new information to work off of. In these applications, oligos are labeled for identification purposes. Some of these labels come from radioactive nuclei such as RNA triphosphates. When applied to the oligos, they can be directly added into nucleic acid probes via enzymatic methods like nick translations.
The Hazards of Radiolabeling
However, radioactive labeling does have its caveats. There are a variety of known hazards when handling any forms of radiation. In addition to this, radiolabelling requires there to be careful handling and disposing, which scientists need to closely be wary about. Although this method of labeling does have its advantages in that it provides high sensitivity for the oligo, or the modified oligo, but the expense of working with it makes it difficult to consistently utilize. Therefore, other labeling methods such as fluorescent labeling, colorimetric, and chemiluminescent have been becoming increasingly popular. In most application, radiolabelling isn’t even used anymore. But, every now and then, you’ll find that certain applications require the use of radioactive methods to achieve a breakthrough.
Labeling Requirements
In order for an oligo to be labeled, it must possess certain properties that scientists deem feasible. One of the most common ones would be that the label should be able to attach easily under mild conditions using any type of protocol – regardless of how simple or cheap it is. Another requirement is that the label can be detected at the lowest concentration, otherwise the findings would be inconclusive.
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