Abstract: The present invention provides a method for reversible covalent attachment of a probe to a solid surface via a flexible linker arm such that the probe can be circularized by ligation in the presence a complementary target nucleic acid and the resulting circular probe molecule detected. Detection can be by hybridization, primer extension, sequencing, PCR or other methods but is preferably by means of rolling circle amplification.

Abstract: The invention discloses methods of reducing background signal in nucleic acid amplification reactions by the use of primers in the case of isothermal amplification which include at least one modification selected from a nucleotide analogue, a hairpin loop at the 5′ end of the primer, a ribonucleotide or a fluor or quencher. For more general nucleic acid amplification reactions the primer includes at least two of the modifications.

Abstract: The invention discloses an oligonucleotide probe which can be used for the identification of polymorphisms in a nucleic acid sequence. The probe contains an allele specific base at the 3′ end of the oligonucleotide and an additional deliberate mismatch base at a position of up to 4 nucleotides from the 3′ end of the probe. The oligonucleotide is particularly useful in Rolling Circle Amplification (RCA) reactions by increasing the specificity of discrimination between alleles.