Abstract: Nucleoside analogues have structure (2) wherein Q is H or a sugar moiety or sugar analogue or a modified sugar or a nucleic backbone or backbone analogue, W is an alkylene or alkenylene chain of 0-5 carbon atoms, any of which may carry a substituent R8, X is O or N or NR12 or CR10, X′ is O or S or N, provided that when X′ is O or S, then X is C, Y is CH or N, R6 is NH2 or SMe or SO2Me or NHNH2, each of R7 and R8 is independently H or F or alkyl or alkenyl or aryl or acyl or a reporter moiety, R12 is independently H or alkyl or alkenyl or aryl or acyl or a reporter moiety, and R10 is H or ═O or F or alkyl or aryl or a reporter moiety.

Abstract: A method for primer walking cycle sequencing of nucleic acid is provided using a presynthesized set of walking primers wherein the primers have a raised annealing temperature and/or improved annealing properties.

Abstract: Nucleoside analogues containing the degenerate base analogue P and derivatives thereof are provided with reporter moieties preferably comprising signal moieties. The nucleoside analogues are useful for labeling DNA or RNA or for incorporating in oligonucleotides.

Abstract: Nucleoside analogues in which a group M replaces the natural base where M is (1) or (2) or (3), where each of X1, X2 and X3 are C or N, each of R6 and R7 is the same or different and each is H, NO2, CO, COR8, OR8, CN, O, CON(R8)2, COOR8, SO2R8, SO3R8, SR8, NHCHO, (CH2)n(R8)2, halogen, or a reporter moiety, each of R8 and R9 is H or hydrocarbyl or a reporter moiety, and n is 0-4. The analogues are substrates for polymerase and terminal transferase enzymes.

Abstract: Benzophenoxazine compounds have formula (I) where X is O or NH, Y is NR.sup.1 R.sup.2 or H, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are alkyl or -L-A, L is a linker and A may be a reactive group by means of which the compound is linked to a biomolecule. The compounds can be used as fluorescent dyes for labelling biomolecules.

Abstract: The invention concerns novel compounds having defined structural formulae and methods of mutating a nucleic acid sequence, the method comprising replicating a template sequence in the presence of a nucleoside triphosphate analogue in accordance with the invention, so as to form non-identical copies of the template sequence comprising one or more nucleoside triphosphate analogue residues, and a kit for use in performing the method of the invention.

Abstract: Novel squarate dyes are described, and adducts of these dyes with biologically significant chemical species such as nucleosides or nucleotides. The adducts have useful properties for fluorescent nucleic acid sequencing methods.

Abstract: A method determining the number of repeats in a tandem repeat sequence of a nucleic acid target comprises providing an array of nucleic acid probes immobilized at spaced locations on a surface of a support. Each probe of the array has a tandem repeat sequence complementary to that in the target and containing a different number of repeats. When the target is hybridized with the array and forms a perfect match with the probe having the same number of repeats in the tandem repeat sequence, it is not removed by exonuclease treatment and can be detected on the array.

Abstract: A method of sequencing a target nucleic acid using primer extension mass spectroscopy to generate an observed mass spectrum, on which base calling cycles are carried out using calibrated inter-peak mass difference values such that: each called base allows mass calculation for the base-called peak in the observed mass spectrum; this calculated mass is then used as a further calibration point for subsequent rounds of base calling. A reaction mixture of all four base-specific chain extension nucleotides and four chain termination nucleotide analogues. A method of performing mass spectroscopy, which method comprises subjecting molecular ions which have been chemically charged in a predetermined manner to time-of-flight or Fourier transform mass spectroscopy.

Abstract: Additives are proposed for compositions comprising radiolabelled organic compounds e.g. 32P-labelled nucleotides. Stabilisers are selected from tryptophan, para-aminobenzoate, indoleacetate and the azole group. Dyes are selected from Sulphorhodamine B, Xylene Cyanol, Azocarmine B and New Coccine. Preferred compositions contain both stabiliser and dye.