DNA probe assay based on exonuclease III digestion of probes hybridized on target DNA.

A quantitative DNA probe assay process has been developed that uses exonuclease III. The fluorophore-labeled DNA probe is hybridized with specific sequences of the target DNA and then enzymatically digested. As these probe hybridization and digestion cycle reactions are repeated at a fixed temperature, digested probes (shortened probes) accumulate in the reaction mixture in a manner similar to a DNA polymerase chain reaction. Investigation of the digestion characteristics of the DNA probe showed that a slight digestion of a free single-stranded probe produces a large background signal, which results in low detection sensitivity. The digestion of single-stranded DNA probes is caused by double-stranded formations in the molecules. This digestion decreases and the double-stranded-specific digestion increases with increasing reaction temperature. When the reaction occurs at 45 degrees C, the association rate of the enzyme on the double-stranded DNA is 700 times faster than that on single-stranded DNA. This enables selective digestion of double-stranded DNA. The detection limit is 9 x 10(-19) mol for a M13-phage DNA.