WO2019009592A2 - Particle with ucst material applied thereto, and nucleic acid amplification method using same - Google Patents

Abstract

In the present invention, when amplifying a nucleic acid by incorporating at least one primer among a forward primer and reverse primer and/or a probe in an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) particle, or when amplifying a nucleic acid by incorporating at least one primer among the forward primer and reverse primer and/or a probe in a UCST particle and fixing to a hydrogel fine particle, same the primer or probe contained in the UCST particle can be discharged within a certain temperature range. Accordingly, the formation of primer dimers can be prevented while also achieving excellent PCR amplification efficiency.

Description

Particles with UCST material and nucleic acid amplification method using the same

In this specification, a UCST particle containing a primer by introducing a new nucleic acid supply material, a hydrogel microparticle having a primer immobilized by including the UCST particle, and a nucleic acid amplification method and a nucleic acid amplification apparatus using the same are disclosed.

Techniques for simultaneously analyzing many target nucleic acids in a single channel using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been developed. Solid-phase PCR is a technique for analyzing multiple target nucleic acids at the same time, using a primer or a probe immobilized on a solid surface. However, in the case of the solid-based nucleic acid amplification technology, when only one direction primer is fixed to the surface of the solid and the opposite direction primer or probe is supplied to the solution, when both direction primers or probes are fixed on the solid surface, There is a problem that the efficiency of the reaction is very low. On the other hand, when only one directional primer or probe is immobilized on the solid surface and the opposite primer or probe is put into solution, the primer forms a primer dimer which is a non-specific bond to each other, There was a problem.

[Explanation of R & D for National Support]

This study was supported by the National Institute of Science and Technology (National Institute of Science and Technology Research Supporting Research and Operation Support of the National Science and Technology Research Institute (Future Creation Science Department), Development of Diagnostic Technology for the Catastrophic Livestock Disease Site, Task No. 1711046486) .

[Prior Art Literature]

[Patent Literature]

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0048964 (May 2015)

It is an object of the present invention to provide a UCST particle and a hydrogel microparticle which are excellent in amplification efficiency of a target nucleic acid while preventing the generation of a primer duplex.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a UCST polymer matrix having an Upper Critical Solution Temperature (UCST) at 20 to 90 < 0 >C; As a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer dispersed in the UCST polymer matrix, one or more primers of an forward primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid, or a probe of a target nucleic acid (UCST) particle for PCR.

One aspect of the present invention is a PCR-use hydrogel microparticle in which at least one primer of the forward primer and the reverse primer of the target nucleic acid, or a probe of the target nucleic acid is immobilized as a polymerase chain reaction primer, and the hydrogel microparticles At least one primer of the omnidirectional primer and the reverse primer or a probe of a target nucleic acid is contained in the UCST particle to be fixed to the hydrogel fine particle, The hydrogel microparticles provide a hydrogel microparticle, which is a porous structure comprising pores.

Further, one aspect of the present invention provides a nucleic acid amplification apparatus comprising at least one UCST particle.

Further, one aspect of the present invention provides a nucleic acid amplification apparatus comprising at least one of the hydrogel microparticles.

In addition, one aspect of the present invention is to prepare a UCST particle by adding at least one primer of an omnidirectional primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid or a probe of a target nucleic acid to a liquid UCST (Upper Critical Solution Temperature) The method comprising the steps of:

In addition, one aspect of the present invention is to prepare a UCST particle by adding at least one primer of an omnidirectional primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid or a probe of a target nucleic acid to a liquid UCST (Upper Critical Solution Temperature) step; The prepared UCST particles, a hydrogel monomer and a photoinitiator are mixed to prepare a prepolymer solution. When only one primer of the omnidirectional primer and the reverse primer is contained in the UCST particles, the solution is mixed with the omnidirectional primer And a primer that is not included in the UCST among the reverse primers; And discharging the prepolymer solution in a droplet form and curing the prepolymer solution to prepare hydrogel microparticles. The present invention also provides a method for producing hydrogel microparticles.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of preparing a UCST particle, comprising: injecting a UCST particle into a reaction chamber; Injecting a solution containing one or more target nucleic acids into the reaction chamber; And amplifying the target nucleic acid by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the target nucleic acid.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nucleic acid amplification method comprising: injecting at least one hydrogel fine particle into a reaction chamber; Injecting a solution containing one or more target nucleic acids into the reaction chamber; And amplifying the target nucleic acid by a polymerase chain reaction with the target nucleic acid.

The UCST particles of the present invention include one or more primers or probes of an omnidirectional and reverse primer, so that the primer and / or the probe are all treated with UCST particles until the denaturation step in the PCR, in particular, the one-step reverse transcription PCR It is possible to prevent the formation of a primer dimer due to non-specific binding between the primer and the primer or between the primer and the probe. In addition, the hydrogel fine particles containing the UCST particles of the present invention can be prepared by fixing both the bi-directional primer and / or the probe to the hydrogel fine particle to supply the primer and / or probe necessary for the amplification reaction of the target nucleic acid to the corresponding particle, Generation of a duplex can be prevented. In addition, when the primer contained in the UCST particles flows out into the hydrogel microparticles in the denaturation step during the PCR process, the primer has a high degree of freedom. In the nucleic acid amplification, only one directional primer is fixed to the hydrogel microparticles, Can be shown to have the same high amplification efficiency as that put into solution.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a principle of performing one-step reverse transcription (qPCR) using UCST particles containing reverse primer as one embodiment of the present invention. to be.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a UCST particle including a reverse primer and a probe as one embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of the present invention in which the hydrogel microparticles contain UCST particles and the UCST particles are melted at a temperature of UCST or higher in the PCR to flow out the primers contained in the UCST particles, Fig.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are graphs showing fluorescence signals obtained after one day, two days, and six days after the preparation of the UCST particles according to an embodiment of the present invention, as a result of performing one step reverse quantitative PCR. The y-axis in FIG. 4A represents the absolute values of the respective fluorescence signals immediately after the production of the UCST particles, the days 1, 2, and 6 after the preparation, and the y-axis of FIG. 4B represents the absolute values of the fluorescence signals immediately after the UCST particles were produced, , 2 days and 6 days, respectively, and the x-axis in FIGS. 4A and 4B represents the cycle number.

FIG. 5 is a graph (red line, dark line) showing a result of performing a one-step reverse transcription quantitative PCR using UCST particles containing a reverse primer according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the graph, all of the reverse primer and the reverse primer The results of the one-step reverse-transcription-quantitative PCR performed in the presence of the reaction solution containing the DNA were used as Comparative Example 1 (blue line, soft line). In FIG. 5, a solid line represents a positive control signal, a dotted line represents a false positive control signal by a primer duplex, and a control signal (no template control signal) generated without a template reaction. Cycle number, and the y-axis represents the standardized fluorescence intensity.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the results of performing one step reverse transcription quantitative PCR using UCST particles including a reverse primer and a probe as one embodiment of the present invention. The x-axis in the graph of Fig. 6 represents the cycle number and the y-axis represents the absolute value of the fluorescence signal.

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the effect of increasing the temperature of hydrogel microparticles containing UCST particles above UCST when the UCST material is melted and the fluorescence-labeled nucleic acid contained therein flows out of the hydrogel microparticles It is the figure which confirmed the state that it became.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the temperature of the UCST particles and the UCST particles when the temperature of the UCST particles is increased to UCST or higher. When the UCST material is melted and the fluorescence labeled nucleic acid contained therein flows out of the hydrogel fine particles And the degree of decrease in fluorescence is analyzed.

FIG. 9 is an analysis of nucleic acid amplification reaction of hydrogel microparticles containing agarose as a UCST material according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an analysis of nucleic acid amplification reaction of hydrogel microparticles containing gelatin with UCST material according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 is an analysis of nucleic acid amplification reaction of hydrogel microparticles containing LMPA as a UCST material according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an analysis of nucleic acid amplification reaction of hydrogel microparticles containing PEG-aCD with UCST material as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows the results of comparing the PCR efficiencies of one embodiment of the present invention (one primer immobilized with UCST) and Comparative Examples 2 and 3 (pair primer immobilized and one primer immobilized without UCST).

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention.

One embodiment of the present invention is a UCST polymer matrix having an Upper Critical Solution Temperature (UCST) at 20 to 90 < 0 >C; As a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer dispersed in the UCST polymer matrix, one or more primers of an forward primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid, or a probe of a target nucleic acid Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > UCST < / RTI > particles for PCR. The UCST particle may further include a reverse transcription (RT) primer to the UCST particle, or an omni-directional primer or a reverse primer that is the PCR primer may be used as a reverse primer without further comprising a reverse primer .

One embodiment of the present invention is a PCR-based hydrogel microparticle to which at least one primer of an forward primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid or a probe of a target nucleic acid as a polymerase chain reaction primer is immobilized, and a UCST (Upper Critical Solution Temperature) particles, and one or more primers of the omnidirectional primer and the reverse primer, or a probe of the target nucleic acid may be contained in the UCST particle and fixed to the hydrogel fine particle. In addition, the hydrogel microparticles may comprise two or more UCST particles, and each of the two or more UCST particles may each include at least one of an omnidirectional primer, a reverse primer and a probe of a target nucleic acid.

The term " UCST (Upper Critical Solution Temperature) particle " as used herein refers to a substance having a temperature sensitivity at a temperature lower than a critical solution temperature and being present in a solid phase at a temperature above the critical dissolution temperature, ≪ / RTI > In addition, the UCST particles may be particles having an Upper Critical Solution Temperature (UCST) at 20 to 90 ° C, and may be phase-transitioned from a liquid phase or a liquid phase to a solid phase at a solid phase at the high- Lt; / RTI > In one embodiment, the UCST particles may be particles comprised of materials that are melted during a denaturation step during the PCR process.

It was confirmed that the UCST particles can be stably stored in the UCST particles until 6 days have elapsed after the UCST particles are prepared so as to contain the primer or the probe, , Figs. 4A and 4B).

One-step reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is a one-step RT-qPCR method in which a reverse transcription reaction and a quantitative PCR are sequentially performed in a single reaction vessel and used for reverse transcription and quantitative PCR reaction Primers used only in primers and quantitative PCR are mixed in a single reaction vessel from the beginning, and primers which should participate in quantitative PCR reactions are not specifically reacted to probes used in the reverse transcription reaction or primers or target nucleic acids (RNA) used in the reverse transcription reaction Thereby causing a problem. Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention, when PCR is performed using UCST particles including a reverse primer or UCST particles including a reverse primer and a probe, a temperature lower than a critical temperature, i.e., a denaturation step , The primer or probe contained in the UCST particles may not be leaked to the outside of the UCST particle and may contain the primer or the probe very stably until immediately before the PCR reaction so that the false positive signal due to the primer duplex is suppressed during the PCR, It was confirmed that nucleic acid amplification reaction, particularly one-step reverse transcription quantitative PCR can be performed with sensitivity and accuracy (Experimental Examples 2 and 3, Figures 5 and 6)

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one primer or probe of the omnidirectional primer and the reverse primer is contained in the UCST particle and is fixed to the hydrogel microparticle, Since the primer or probe contained in the UCST particle does not flow out of the UCST particle prior to the denaturation step and may contain the primer or the probe very stably until immediately before the nucleic acid amplification reaction, It is possible to effectively prevent the nonspecific signal generated by the probe and the primer. In the denaturation step at the temperature above the critical dissolution temperature, that is, during the PCR process, the UCST particles are melted and the primer or the probe contained in the UCST particle is released into the void of the hydrogel fine particle, whereby the hydrogel fine particle It is possible to perform a highly efficient nucleic acid amplification reaction (Experimental Examples 4 to 6, Figs. 9 to 13).

For example, the UCST particles may be selected from the group consisting of agarose, gelatin, collagen, low melting point agarose (LMPA) and PEG-aCD (mixture of polyethylene glycol and alpha-cyclodextrin) And may include one or more species. The material constituting the UCST particles is not limited to the above-exemplified materials, and various UCST materials may be selected according to room temperature stability and nucleic acid amplification reactivity. Specifically, the UCST particles include agarose having a critical dissolution temperature of 80 to 90 ° C, gelatin having a critical dissolution temperature of 40 to 50 ° C, collagen having a critical dissolution temperature of 30 to 40 ° C, and the like can do. In another embodiment, the UCST particles may be modified materials of natural materials and include LMPA having a critical dissolution temperature of 60 to 80 캜. In yet another embodiment, the UCST particles may include PEG-aCD having a critical dissolution temperature of 20 to 90 ° C and having a UCST property due to molecular attraction.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the hydrogel microparticles may have a porous structure including pores. In one embodiment, the porosity of the microparticles is between 10% and 80% by volume, more specifically between 20% and 70% by volume relative to the total volume of microparticles. . If it is out of the above range, the porosity may be deteriorated or the structural stability of the fine particle may be unstable, which may be disadvantageous to the nucleic acid amplification reaction.

In one embodiment, the target nucleic acid primer includes, but is not limited to, one or more nucleic acids of DNA, RNA, LNA, and PNA. In this case, the target nucleic acid primer may be 10-100 base pairs (bp), more specifically 20-50 base pairs, but the sequence type and sequence length of the nucleic acid primer can be varied without limitation depending on the target nucleic acid.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hydrogel microparticles may include one of the primer and the reverse primer in the inside of the UCST particle. In this case, another primer not contained in the UCST particle May be fixed to the outside of the hydrogel fine particles or inside the pores of the hydrogel fine particles. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hydrogel microparticles may contain a probe of the target nucleic acid in the UCST particle. In this case, only one primer of the forward primer and the reverse primer may be included in the hydrogel It may be fixed within the pores of the fine particles, or both the omni-directional primer and the reverse primer may not be fixed within the pores of the hydrogel microparticles. Specifically, the primer that is not contained in the UCST particle contains a hydrogel microparticle-immobilized functional group at the 5 'end or the 3' end of the base sequence of the primer or cross-links with the hydrogel, Or may be fixed within the cavity. And may be immobilized by covalent bonding or peptide bonding with a hydrogel monomer within the pores of the hydrogel fine particles. In one embodiment, the functional group that can be linked to the hydrogel monomer through a covalent bond may include acrydite. In another embodiment, the functional group that can be connected to the hydrogel through a peptide bond includes an amine group, A carboxyl group and the like. Alternatively, in one embodiment, the primer modified with an acrylate functional group at the 5 'end of the nucleotide sequence may be immobilized on the hydrogel when the hydrogel monomer is converted into a polymer in the preparation of the hydrogel microparticles.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the hydrogel microparticles may have a particle size of, for example, an average particle size of 10 μm to 500 μm, and more specifically an average particle size of 100 μm to 300 μm. The shape is not limited as long as it is a three-dimensional structure, and more specifically, spherical, hemispherical, disk-shaped, plate-shaped, and the like are exemplified. The material of the hydrogel fine particles can be used without limitation as long as it is a pre-polymer that can be solidified. Specifically, polyethylene glycol-diacrylate (PEG-DA) or polyacrylamide (PA) May be used.

PCR fluorescent labeling can be performed by using a nonspecific fluorescent labeling method that fluoresces by interrupting the amplification products generated during the nucleic acid amplification reaction using SYBR green I dye or the like and by using a probe to identify the amplification product generated by the nucleic acid amplification reaction A specific fluorescent labeling method which binds to a sequence and fluoresces by nucleic acid amplification reaction can be used.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the specific fluorescent labeling method is used, the UCST particle may include a probe therein. More specifically, the probe may be an optional fluorescent probe. The fluorescent probe binds to the target nucleic acid and provides a fluorescence signal to enable detection of the target nucleic acid in real time. In one embodiment, the target nucleic acid is amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and the fluorescence intensity is also increased. Therefore, the target nucleic acid to be amplified can be quantified by detecting fluorescence intensity. The fluorescence probe can be used without limitation as long as it exhibits fluorescence by complementarily binding to a target nucleic acid. For example, the selective fluorescent probe may include a TaqMan probe or the like. In one embodiment, the TaqMan probe is a nucleic acid having a 5 'end modified with a fluorescent substance (FAM or the like) and a 3' end modified with a quencher substance (BHQ or the like) and subjected to an annealing step However, the 5 '→ 3' exonuclease possessed by the Taq DNA polymerase during the extension reaction is inhibited by the quencher on the probe, As a result, the fluorescent dye is released from the probe, so that the inhibition by the fiber is released and the fluorescence is expressed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the UCST particle or the hydrogel microparticle may comprise at least one of an encoder for providing target nucleic acid primer or probe information and a fluorescent marker for providing quantitative information of the nucleic acid to be amplified, UCST particles or in the pores of the microparticles. The encoder refers to a substance that distinguishes between nucleic acid primers or probes in each UCST particle or hydrogel microparticle in terms of color or shape. For example, the encoder may be a dye emitting fluorescence of various colors, a quantum dot, Metal, plastic, glass, silicon, or the like can be used. Or the target nucleic acid primer in each UCST particle or hydrogel microparticle by changing the size or shape of the UCST particle or the hydrogel microparticle itself or by marking the surface of the UCST particle or hydrogel microparticle, Probes can be distinguished. Alternatively, the target nucleic acid primer or probe in each UCST particle or hydrogel microparticle can be distinguished by specifying the position in the array of UCST particles or each hydrogel microparticle.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for producing UCST particles, wherein at least one primer of an omnidirectional primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid or a probe of a target nucleic acid is added to a liquid UCST material and then the mixture is coagulated to prepare UCST particles The method comprising the steps of: The step of preparing the UCST particles may include a step of completely dissolving the UCST material in a liquid phase by heating the UCST material to a critical dissolution temperature or higher before adding and mixing at least one of an omnidirectional primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid to a liquid UCST material, As shown in FIG. Further, in one embodiment, coagulating the UCST material after mixing may include cooling the UCST material to below the critical dissolution temperature and solidifying the solid phase.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for producing the hydrogel microparticles, wherein one or more primers of an omnidirectional primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid or a probe of a target nucleic acid are put into a liquid UCST material, ; Mixing the prepared UCST particles, a hydrogel monomer and a photoinitiator to prepare a prepolymer solution; And discharging the prepolymer solution in a droplet form and curing the prepolymer solution to prepare hydrogel microparticles. If only one of the forward primer and the reverse primer is included in the UCST particles, the prepolymer solution may be prepared by mixing the primer and the reverse primer, which are not contained in the UCST particles, As shown in FIG. In addition, when neither the forward primer nor the reverse primer is included in the UCST particles or only the probe of the target nucleic acid is contained in the UCST particles, the prepolymer solution may further include one of the forward primer and the reverse primer have.

As used herein, the term " pre-polymer " means a prepolymer in which polymerization or polycondensation reaction is stopped at an appropriate stage in order to facilitate molding of the polymer. In the present invention, Means a polymer in a state where molding is easy.

In one embodiment, the method may further include a cleaning step after the hydrogel microparticles are prepared, and the uncoupled UCST material, the void-derived polymer, and the like may be removed through the cleaning step.

In one embodiment, the step of ejecting the prepolymer solution in droplet form includes a microchannel method, a piezo method or a solenoid value method, microspotting, and the like Thereby making it possible to produce fine particles of various shapes and sizes.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the UCST particle production method may be used to inject a target nucleic acid primer or a probe differently depending on the type of target nucleic acid, so that a plurality of UCST particles containing different target nucleic acid primers or probes Can be produced. In addition, the UCST particle may further include at least one of an encoder that provides information of the target nucleic acid primer or probe included in each UCST particle, and a fluorescent marker that provides quantitative information of the target nucleic acid to be amplified.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a hydrogel microparticle, comprising the steps of: injecting a target nucleic acid primer or a probe differently according to the kind of a target nucleic acid, thereby preparing a plurality of target nucleic acid primers or probes Hydrogel microparticles can be prepared. The prepolymer solution may further comprise at least one of an encoder providing information of the target nucleic acid primer or probe contained in each hydrogel microparticle and a fluorescent marker capable of providing quantitative information of the target nucleic acid to be amplified .

In one embodiment, the step of preparing the prepolymer solution may further comprise a porosity inducing polymer in the solution. In one embodiment, the step of preparing the prepolymer solution may further include adjusting the size of the voids formed in the hydrogel microparticles by modifying the size of the void-derived polymer contained in the solution. For example, polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polyacrylamide (PAM) may be used as the void-derived polymer. As the polyethylene glycol, PEG 200, PEG 300, PEG 400, PEG 600, PEG 1000, PEG 1500, PEG 2000, PEG 3000, PEG 3350, PEG 4000, PEG 6000, PEG 8000, PEG 10000, PEG 12000, PEG 20000, PEG 35000, PEG 40000 (manufacturer: Sigma Aldrich) have.

In addition, in one embodiment, the curing of the hydrogel fine particles is performed by maintaining the shape of the hydrogel fine particles before curing, and if the shape can be maintained, the method such as optical, chemical, or thermal curing methods is not limited. As shown in Fig.

One embodiment of the present invention can provide a nucleic acid amplification apparatus including at least one UCST particle. In one embodiment, the nucleic acid amplification apparatus may include a plurality of UCST particles each including a primer or a probe for different target nucleic acids.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention can provide a nucleic acid amplification apparatus including at least one hydrogel fine particle. In one embodiment, the nucleic acid amplification apparatus may include a plurality of hydrogel microparticles each including a primer or a probe for different target nucleic acids.

In one embodiment, the apparatus may further comprise a reaction chamber, which may comprise an array or tube in which the UCST particles or hydrogel microparticles are arranged. The material of the array according to an exemplary embodiment is not limited to a material type as long as temperature conditions of nucleic acid amplification reaction such as glass, plastic, polymer, and silicon can be applied.

Also, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method of forming a UCST particle, comprising: injecting one or more UCST particles into a reaction chamber; Injecting a solution containing one or more target nucleic acids into the reaction chamber; And amplifying the target nucleic acid by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the target nucleic acid.

In one embodiment, the step of amplifying the target nucleic acid may include the step of melting the UCST particles in the denaturation step during the PCR and allowing the primer or probe contained therein to flow out into the chamber. Alternatively, the step of amplifying the target nucleic acid as an embodiment may include a step in which the UCST particles are melted in the denaturation step in the PCR so that the primer or the probe contained therein flows out of the UCST particle.

In addition, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method of preparing a hydrogel microparticle, comprising: injecting at least one hydrogel microparticle into a reaction chamber; Injecting a solution containing one or more target nucleic acids into the chamber; And amplifying the target nucleic acid by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the target nucleic acid.

In one embodiment, the step of amplifying the target nucleic acid may include the step of melting the UCST particles in the denaturation step during the PCR so that primers or probes contained in the UCST particles are released into the voids of the hydrogel microparticles.

In one embodiment, the one or more UCST particles may each comprise at least one of an omnidirectional primer, a reverse primer and a probe for the same target nucleic acid, or may each comprise a primer or probe for a different target nucleic acid. In one embodiment, the hydrogel microparticles may comprise two or more UCST particles, and the two or more UCST particles may each include one or more of an omni-directional primer, a reverse primer, and a probe for the same target nucleic acid. Or in one embodiment, the at least one hydrogel microparticle may comprise a primer or probe for different target nucleic acids, respectively. In one embodiment, the solution containing the target nucleic acid may further include a primer containing LNA (Locked Nucleic Acid) such as a 3'-locked nucleic acid primer, Taq polymerase, and the like. In one embodiment, the reaction chamber may include an array or a tube in which the UCST particles or the hydrogel microparticles are arranged.

In one embodiment, the method may further comprise analyzing nucleic acids that are polymerized within the one or more respective UCST particles. In one embodiment, the method may further comprise analyzing the nucleic acid polymerized within the one or more respective hydrogel microparticles. In another embodiment, the method further comprises quantitatively analyzing in real time quantitative analysis of the nucleic acid polymerized in the at least one respective UCST particle or hydrogel microparticle that is co-polymerized with the step of performing the polymerase chain reaction, As such, different types of target nucleic acids can be simultaneously amplified and detected in real time and quantitatively analyzed.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Production Examples, Examples and Experimental Examples. These production examples, examples and experimental examples are only for illustrating the present invention, and it is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not construed as being limited by these preparations, examples and experimental examples, It will be obvious to the person.

[ Manufacturing example  1] one direction Primer  Included UCST  Manufacturing of particles

As an embodiment of the present invention, UCST particles containing a reverse primer (Example 1) were prepared using LMPA as a UCST material.

Specifically, the LMPA was completely dissolved in a liquid state at a temperature above the critical melting temperature, and then the reverse primer solution of the target nucleic acid was added to the liquid UCST material at a rate of 10% v / v based on the total volume of the liquid UCST material. To cool down and solidify to produce solid UCST particles.

The sequence of the target nucleic acid and the reverse primer used here is as follows.

- Target nucleic acid: 5'-AGGGCATTTTGGACAAAGCGTCTACGCTGCAGTCCTCGCTCACTGGGCACGGTGAGCGTGAACACAAACCCCAAAATCCCCTTAGTCAGAGGTGACAGGATTGGTC-3 '(SEQ ID NO: 1)

- Reverse primer: 5'-AGGGCATTYTGGACAAAKCGTCTA-3 '(SEQ ID NO: 2)

[ Manufacturing example  2] one way primer  And The probe  Included UCST  Manufacturing of particles

As an embodiment of the present invention, UCST particles (Example 2) including a reverse primer and a probe were prepared using LMPA as a UCST material.

Specifically, solid UCST particles containing the reverse primer of SEQ ID NO: 2 and the probe of SEQ ID NO: 4 for the target nucleic acid of SEQ ID NO: 1 were prepared in the same manner as in Preparation Example 1,

- probe: 5'-CACCGTGCCCAGTGAGCGAGGACT-3 '(SEQ ID NO: 4)

[ Manufacturing example  3] UCST  Particle-containing Hydrogel  Preparation of fine particles

As one embodiment of the present invention, hydrogel microparticles containing UCST particles of Examples 3-6 were prepared using four UCST materials of agarose, gelatin, LMPA and PEG-aCD, respectively.

In this case the sequence of the target nucleic acid and the forward primers and reverse primers used are as follows, and the probe was used for TaqMan ^TM probe. The omni-directional primer was immobilized in hydrogel microparticles using an acrylate.

- Target nucleic acid: 5'-CCTGGCACCCAGCACAATGAAGATCAAGATCATTGCTCCTCCTGAGCGCAAGTACTCCGTGTGGATCGGC-3 '(SEQ ID NO: 5)

- Forward primer: (5'Acryd) -CCTGGCACCCAGCACAAT-3 '(SEQ ID NO: 6)

- Reverse primer: 5'-GCCGATCCACACGGAGTACT-3 '(SEQ ID NO: 7)

Specifically, the UCST material is completely dissolved in a liquid state at the respective critical melting temperature or higher, and then a reverse primer solution is added to the liquid UCST material at a rate of 10% v / v based on the total volume of the liquid UCST material. To cool down and solidify to produce solid UCST particles.

(Ethylene glycol) (PEG, Sigma-Aldrich) as a void induction polymer, 20% v / v of solid UCST particles containing the reverse primer, 5% v / v of an omni-directional primer solution, 20% v / v of poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG-DA, Sigma-Aldrich, MW700) as a hydrogel monomer and 40% v / v of a photoinitiator 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropiophenone Sigma-Aldrich) and 10% v / v buffer (PBS, etc.) were mixed to prepare a total of 100 μL of prepolymer hydrogel solution.

The prepared solution was discharged in a droplet form and cured by UV exposure (360 nm wavelength, 35 mJ / cm ² ) for 1 minute to prepare hydrogel fine particles having an average particle diameter of 400 μm. The microparticles were washed with PBS 1X buffer to remove uncured materials.

[ Experimental Example  One] UCST  Particle primer  or Probe  Check storage stability

One-step reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (One-step RT-qPCR) was performed as follows to confirm whether the UCST particles according to one embodiment of the present invention had a primer or probe storage stability .

The UCST particles of Example 1 prepared in [Preparation Example 1] were injected into a channel filled with PBS 1X buffer and stored at a temperature of 40 ° C. Immediately after the preparation, 1 day after the preparation, 2 days after the preparation, 6 days after the production, the UCST particles and the omni-directional primer of SEQ ID NO: 3 were injected into the channel to perform one step reverse transcription quantitative PCR.

Forward primer: 5'-GACCRATCCTGTCACCTCTGAC-3 '(SEQ ID NO: 3)

One-step reverse transcription-PCR was carried out under conditions of reverse transcription at 42 ° C for 10 min, denaturation at 95 ° C for 4 sec for quantitative PCR, and DNA synthesis at 55 ° C for 30 sec for quantitative PCR. The denaturation step and the DNA synthesis step of the quantitative PCR process were repeated 40 times. The fluorescence intensity of the particles was observed 40 times for 1 second immediately after the DNA synthesis step of the quantitative PCR process, and the fluorescence intensity was measured, and the results are shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, analysis of the same target nucleic acid (RNA) revealed that fluorescence intensity data were exactly matched until 6 days elapsed immediately after the preparation, and the intensity of the fluorescence signal was maintained Could know. If the primer contained in the UCST particle was lost out, the fluorescence intensity would be decreased or the Ct value would be delayed, but the fluorescence intensity was maintained and the Ct value was not retarded. Thus, the primer was stably stored in the UCST particle of the present invention .

[ Experimental Example  2] Primer  Included UCST  Nucleic acid amplification reaction using particles

One-step reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (One-step RT-qPCR) was performed in a nucleic acid amplification reaction using UCST particles containing UCST particles containing a reverse primer as one embodiment of the present invention. The same procedure as in Experimental Example 1 was carried out.

However, the UCST particles used were the UCST particles of Example 1 prepared in [Preparation Example 1] above. At this time, the reaction solution containing the reverse primer and the omnidirectional primer was inserted into the channel without using UCST particles as Comparative Example 1, and one step reverse quantitative PCR was performed in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1.

The results of the one-step reverse transcription quantitative PCR of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 are shown in Fig. The red line (dark line) in FIG. 5 shows the results of the one-step reverse transcription quantitative PCR of Comparative Example 1, the blue line (soft line) shows the one-step reverse transcription quantitative PCR results using the UCST particles of the present invention, (positive control signal), and the dotted line represents a control signal (no template control signal) generated without reaction of the template, which is a false positive control signal by the primer duplex.

As shown in FIG. 5, since the solid lines of Ex. 1 and Ex. 1 are exactly the same, single-step reverse transcription quantitative PCR using UCST particles containing a one-way primer, for example, a reverse primer, And the same positive signal as the one-step reverse transcription-specific quantitative PCR.

In addition, the one-step reverse transcription quantitative PCR was performed only in the reverse reaction and the quantitative PCR in one reaction vessel, and was used only in the primer (forward primer in this Experimental Example 2) and the quantitative PCR which are both used for reverse transcription and quantitative PCR reaction Since the primer (reverse primer in Experimental Example 2) is mixed in one reaction vessel from the beginning, the reverse primer, which should participate only in the quantitative PCR reaction, acts nonspecifically on the reverse primer or the target nucleic acid (RNA) ≪ / RTI >

However, when comparing the dotted lines of Comparative Example 1 and Example 1 of FIG. 5, the Ct value of Example 1 is delayed by 6 or more. This shows that the sensitivity is improved by about 100 times or more, , It can be seen that the false positive signal due to the primer duplex is suppressed when the one step reverse transcription quantitative PCR is performed and the nucleic acid amplification reaction can be performed with higher sensitivity and accuracy.

[ Experimental Example  3] primer  And The probe  Included UCST  Nucleic acid amplification reaction using particles

As one embodiment of the present invention, one-step RT-qPCR was performed as follows in the nucleic acid amplification reaction using UCST particles containing a reverse primer and a probe.

Specifically, one step reverse quantitative PCR was performed in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1, except that UCST particles of Example 2 including a reverse primer and a probe were used in place of the UCST particles of Example 1.

The results of the single-step reverse transcription quantitative PCR of Example 2 are shown in Fig.

As shown in FIG. 6, the results of three independent experiments in the environment with the target RNA were exactly the same, and it was confirmed that one step reverse transcription quantitative PCR can be performed using UCST particles including primers and probes.

[ Experimental Example  4] Hydrogel  Within the fine particle UCST  Depending on the temperature of the particles primer  Check for release

In order to confirm whether or not the UCST particles according to an embodiment of the present invention emit the primers contained in the UCST particles under specific temperature conditions, the following experiment was conducted.

The hydrogel microparticles of Example 4 prepared in [Preparation Example 3] were injected into a channel filled with PBS 1X buffer, and the fluorescence of the particles was observed for 100 seconds at a temperature of 80 ° C. The decrease in the fluorescence of the particles means that the primer contained in the UCST particles is discharged out of the hydrogel fine particles.

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, fluorescence intensity decreased with time. Fig. 8 shows the result of repeating the same experiment three times independently using the same fine particles. As a result, the UCST is melted at a temperature condition of 40 to 50 ° C., which is a temperature condition of the denaturation step, and the primer contained in the UCST particle is released to participate in the amplification reaction freely before and after the UCST temperature .

[ Experimental Example  5] UCST  Particle-containing Hydrogel  Nucleic acid amplification reaction using fine particles

As one embodiment of the present invention, nucleic acid amplification reaction was performed using hydrogel microparticles containing various UCST particles.

Each of the hydrogel microparticles prepared in [Manufacturing Example 3] was placed in a channel, and a sample (nucleic acid template) to be analyzed was transferred to a PCR master mix (reagent containing enzyme, buffer, dNTP, Mg2 + ), Put into a channel, and subjected to PCR.

At this time, denaturation at 95 ° C for 4 seconds, annealing at 60 ° C for 30 seconds, and elongation were performed for 30 cycles.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 9 to FIG. 12, it can be confirmed that the nucleic acid amplification reaction was effectively performed in all of Examples 3 to 6. Each of the four graphs of FIGS. 9 to 12 shows the result of four independent tests repeated independently. This means that even though the experiment is independent, the graph can be overlapped to a large extent and a stable and stable reaction result can be obtained.

[ Experimental Example  6] UCST  Particle-containing Hydrogel  Comparison of amplification efficiency when performing nucleic acid amplification reaction using fine particles

As one embodiment of the present invention, the one-primer immobilized with UCST of Example 4 prepared in [Preparation Example 3] was used.

As Comparative Examples, the same hydrogel particles (Pair primer immobilized: Comparative Example 2) as in Example 4 were prepared except that the UCST particles were not included and the forward and reverse primers were all fixed inside the voids of the hydrogel fine particles. One primer immobilized without (UCST) particle was prepared in the same manner as in Example 4, except that the omnidirectional primer was not contained in the UCST particles but was immobilized in the hydrogel fine particle voids and UCST particles not containing the reverse primer and the probe were included. UCST (Comparative Example 3) was used.

Then, PCR was carried out on each hydrogel particle of Example 4, Comparative Examples 2 and 3 according to the method described in Experimental Example 5 above. At this time, the concentrations of nucleic acid templates injected in Example 4 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3 were the same.

FIG. 13 shows the results of the PCR. In the case of Comparative Examples 2 and 3 in which UCST particles were not used, the fluorescence intensity was very low irrespective of whether the unidirectional primer was immobilized in the hydrogel fine particles, , Whereas an embodiment of the present invention shows a very high PCR efficiency. It is considered that the present invention prevents formation of primer duplex due to non-specific binding between the primer or the primer and the probe due to the use of the UCST particle and that the primer contained in the UCST particle has a high degree of freedom during the PCR process .

Claims (20)

A UCST polymer matrix having an Upper Critical Solution Temperature (UCST) at 20 to 90 < 0 >C; As a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer dispersed in the UCST polymer matrix, one or more primers of an forward primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid, or a probe of a target nucleic acid UCST (Upper Critical Solution Temperature) particle for PCR. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UCST particles are selected from the group consisting of agarose, gelatin, collagen, low melting point agarose (LMPA) and PEG-aCD (mixture of polyethylene glycol and alpha-cyclodextrin) ≪ / RTI > UCST particles. The UCST particle according to claim 1, wherein the UCST particles are melted in a denaturation step during the PCR process. 7. The UCST particle of claim 1, wherein the probe is an optional fluorescent probe. One or more primers of a forward primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer, or a PCR in which a probe of a target nucleic acid is immobilized As the hydrogel fine particles, Wherein the hydrogel microparticles comprise UCST (Upper Critical Solution Temperature) particles according to any one of claims 1 to 4 fixed to the microparticles, wherein at least one of the forward primer and the reverse primer, The UCST particles are immersed in the hydrogel fine particles, Wherein the hydrogel microparticles are porous structures comprising pores. [7] The method of claim 5, wherein the hydrogel microparticles contain one of the primer and the reverse primer inside the UCST particle, and the other primer not contained in the UCST particle is the hydrogel fine particle Wherein the hydrogel particles are fixed within the pores of the hydrogel particles. [7] The hydrogel microparticle according to claim 6, wherein the primer not contained in the UCST particles is covalently or peptide-bonded to the hydrogel monomers in the pores of the hydrogel microparticles. At least one UCST particle according to any one of claims 1 to 4; And A reaction chamber in which the UCST particles are arranged; / RTI > 9. The nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the nucleic acid amplification apparatus comprises a plurality of UCST particles each including a primer or a probe for different target nucleic acids. A hydrogel microparticle of claim 5; And A reaction chamber in which the hydrogel microparticles are arranged; / RTI > A process for producing UCST particles according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A method for producing UCST particles, comprising the steps of putting a primer of at least one of an omnidirectional primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid or a probe of a target nucleic acid into a liquid UCST (Upper Critical Solution Temperature) material, . A method for producing the hydrogel fine particles according to claim 5, Preparing a UCST particle by adding at least one primer of an omnidirectional primer and a reverse primer of a target nucleic acid, or a probe of a target nucleic acid to a liquid UCST (Upper Critical Solution Temperature) material and then mixing and solidifying; A prepolymer solution is prepared by mixing the prepared UCST particles, a hydrogel monomer and a photoinitiator. When only one primer of the omnidirectional primer and the reverse primer is contained in the UCST particles, Further comprising a primer not contained in the UCST particles among the forward primer and the reverse primer; And Discharging the prepolymer solution in a droplet form, and curing the prepolymer solution to prepare hydrogel microparticles. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises a cleaning step after manufacturing the hydrogel microparticles. As a nucleic acid amplification method, 4. A method of forming a UCST particle, comprising: injecting at least one UCST particle according to any one of claims 1 to 4 into a reaction chamber; Injecting a solution containing one or more target nucleic acids into the reaction chamber; And Amplifying the target nucleic acid by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the target nucleic acid; ≪ / RTI > 15. The method of claim 14, Wherein said polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). 15. The nucleic acid amplification method according to claim 14, wherein the step of amplifying the target nucleic acid comprises the step of melting the UCST particles in the denaturation step in the PCR so that a primer or a probe contained therein flows out into the chamber. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one UCST particle comprises a primer or a probe for a different target nucleic acid, respectively. As a nucleic acid amplification method, Injecting the hydrogel microparticles of claim 5 into a reaction chamber; Injecting a solution containing one or more target nucleic acids into the reaction chamber; And Amplifying the target nucleic acid by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the target nucleic acid; ≪ / RTI > 19. The nucleic acid amplification method according to claim 18, wherein the step of amplifying the target nucleic acid comprises the step of melting the UCST particles in the denaturation step during the PCR so that the primer or the probe contained therein flows out into the void of the hydrogel fine particle. 19. The nucleic acid amplification method of claim 18, further comprising analyzing the nucleic acid polymerized in the at least one respective hydrogel microparticle.

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