| abstract |
The present invention provides a method for determining nucleic acid sequences by performing a continuous cycle of double-stranded extension along a single-stranded template. The cycle includes elongation, ligation, and preferably cleavage steps. In certain embodiments, the methods utilize extended probes that contain phosphorothiolate linkages and use reagents suitable for cleaving such linkages. In certain embodiments, the method utilizes an extended probe that contains an abasic residue or a damaged base and uses a suitable reagent and / or damaged base to cleave the linkage between the nucleoside and the abasic residue. Use reagents suitable for removal from the nucleic acid. The present invention provides a method for determining information about a sequence using at least two distinguishably labeled probe families. In certain embodiments, the method obtains less than 2 bits of information from each of the nucleotides in the plurality of templates in each cycle. |