PNA-TO-MB

PNA-TO-MB is a peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-based molecular beacon (MB) conjugated with the fluorophore thiazole orange (TO). Developed as a diagnostic tool for the early detection of gastrointestinal malignancies, it specifically targets mutations in the K-ras oncogene, such as the codon 12 GGT→GAT mutation. The PNA backbone provides a neutral charge and high binding affinity, allowing for faster hybridization kinetics and superior sequence specificity compared to traditional DNA-based probes. Thiazole orange serves as a light-up fluorescent reporter, exhibiting a significant increase in fluorescence upon hybridization to the target mRNA transcript, which facilitates the identification of malignant and pre-malignant lesions in fixed cells and total RNA samples.

Other names

peptide nucleic acid molecular beaconPNA molecular beacon