| abstract |
The present invention provides novel compounds and methods for purifying oligonucleotides. The compounds according to the invention are multimeric oligonucleotides comprising a multimerization domain for inducing multimeric oligonucleotide aggregation, a hybridization domain that is complementary to a target oligonucleotide whose isolation is desired, and a linker domain connecting the multimerization domain and the hybridization domain. Other compounds of the invention comprise dendrimers having oligonucleotides with hybridization domains linked thereto. The methods of the invention comprise contacting the compounds of the invention with a solution containing a target oligonucleotide whose purification is desired. The target oligonucleotide hybridizes to the hybridization domain of the inventive compounds, thereby forming an aggregate. Synthetic failure sequences (N-1, N-2, etc.) and other oligonucleotides not complementary to the hybridization domain do not hybridize with the hybridization domain of the compounds and remain free in solution. Conventional size exclusion chromatography or small pore filter membranes are then used to separate the aggregate (and hence target oligonucleotide) from the other oligonucleotides. The aggregate is denatured and the target oligonucleotide separated once again by size exclusion chromatography or with a small pore filter membrane. |