Oligonucleotide

Definition

Oligonucleotides are short polymeric sequences of nucleotides – RNA, DNA and their analogs, typically with twenty or fewer bases. Although they can be formed by bond cleavage of longer segments, they are more commonly synthesized by polymerizing individual nucleotide precursors. Automated synthesizers allow the synthesis of oligonucleotides up to 160 – 200 bases. The length of the oligonucleotide is usually denoted by “mer”. Initially synthetic oligonucleotides were manufactured and used principally as reagents in life science research. As they readily bind to their respective complementary nucleotide, they are often used as probes for detecting DNA or RNA. More recently, oligonucleotide (nucleic-acid-based) therapeutic drugs have emerged as another area of increasing importance.