Processes for detecting or quantifying more than one nucleic acid in a library

1. A process for detecting or quantifying more than one nucleic acid of interest in a library comprising the steps of:

a) providing:

(i) an array of fixed or immobilized nucleic acids identical or complementary in part or whole to sequences of said nucleic acids of interest;

(ii) a library of nucleic acid analytes which may contain the nucleic acids of interest sought to be detected or quantified; and

(iii) a first set of primers, a second set of primers and a third set of primers, wherein said first set of primers are fixed or immobilized to a solid support, and wherein said second set of primers comprises at least one production center; and

(iv) polymerizing means for synthesizing nucleic acid copies of said nucleic acid analytes using said sets of primers;

b) contacting said library of nucleic acid analytes with said first set of primers to form more than one first bound entity;

c) extending said bound first set of primers by means of template sequences provided by said nucleic acid analytes to form first copies of said analytes;

d) contacting said extended first copies with said second set of primers to form more than one second bound entity;

e) extending said bound second set of primers by means of template sequences provided by said extended first copies to form an extended second set of primers;

f) separating said extended second set of primers obtained in step e);

g) contacting said extended second set of primers with said third set of primers to form more than one third bound entity;

h) extending said third bound entity by means of template sequences provided by said extended second set of primers to form more than one complex comprising said extended third bound entity and said extended set of primers;

i) synthesizing from a production center in said second set of primers in said complexes one or more nucleic acid copies under isothermal or isostatic conditions;

j) hybridizing said nucleic acid copies formed in step i) to said array of nucleic acids provided in step a) (i); and

k) detecting or quantifying any of said hybridized copies obtained in step j).

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said solid support comprises beads.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein said beads are magnetic.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid array comprises members selected from the group consisting of DNA, RNA and analogs thereof.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein said analogs comprise PNA.

6. The process of claim 4 or 5 , wherein said nucleic acids or analogs are modified on any one of the sugar, phosphate or base moieties.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid array is fixed or immobilized to a solid support.

8. The process of claim 7 , wherein said solid support is porous or non-porous.

9. The process of claim 8 , wherein said porous solid support is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylamide and agarose.

10. The process of claim 8 , wherein said non-porous solid support comprises glass or plastic.

11. The process of claim 8 , wherein said solid support is transparent, translucent, opaque or reflective.

12. The process of claim 8 , wherein said nucleic acids are directly or indirectly fixed or immobilized to said solid support.

13. The process of claim 12 , wherein said nucleic acids are indirectly fixed or immobilized to said solid support by means of a chemical linker or linkage arm.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein said library of nucleic acid analytes is derived from a biological source selected from the group consisting of organs, tissues and cells.

15. The process of claim 1 , wherein said library of nucleic acids analytes is selected from the group consisting of genomic DNA, episomal DNA, unspliced RNA, mRNA, rRNA, snRNA and a combination of any of the foregoing.

16. The process of claim 1 , wherein said first set of primers comprise one or more sequences which are complementary to inherent universal detection targets (UDTs).

17. The process of claim 16 , wherein said inherent UDTs are selected from the group consisting of 3′ poly A segments, consensus sequences, and a combination of both.

18. The process of claim 17 , wherein said consensus sequences are selected from the group consisting of signal sequences for poly A addition, splicing elements, multicopy repeats, and a combination of any of the foregoing.

19. The process of claim 1 , wherein said second set of primers are random primers.

20. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step c′) of adding a primer binding site after step c).

21. The process of claim 20 , wherein said second set of primers are complementary to said primer binding site.

22. The process of claim 20 , wherein said primer binding site is added by means of T4 DNA ligase or terminal transferase.

23. The process of claim 1 , wherein said production center is selected from the group consisting of primer binding sites, RNA promoters, or a combination of both.

24. The process of claim 23 , wherein said RNA promoters comprise phage promoters.

25. The process of claim 24 , wherein said phage promoters are selected from the group consisting of T3, T7 and SP6.

26. The process of claim 1 , wherein said hybridized nucleic acid copies further comprise one or more signaling entities attached or incorporated thereto.

27. The process of claim 26 , wherein said signaling entities generate a signal directly or indirectly.

28. The process of claim 27 , wherein said direct signal generation is selected from the group consisting of a fluorescent compound, a phosphorescent compound, a chemiluminescent compound, a chelating compound; an electron dense compound, a magnetic compound, an intercalating compound, an energy transfer compound and a combination of any of the foregoing.

29. The process of claim 27 , wherein said indirect signal generation is selected from the group consisting of an antibody, an antigen, a hapten, a receptor, a hormone, a ligand, an enzyme and a combination of any of the foregoing.

30. The process of claim 29 , wherein said enzyme catalyzes a reaction selected from the group consisting of a fluorogenic reaction, a chromogenic reaction and a chemiluminescent reaction.

31. The process of claim 1 , wherein said polymerizing means comprises a polymerase selected from the group consisting of E. coli DNA Pol I, Klenow fragment of E. coli DNA Pol I, Bst DNA polymerase, Bca DNA polymerase, Taq DNA polymerase, Tth DNA Polymerase, T4 DNA polymerase, ALV reverse transcriptase, MuLV reverse transcriptase, RSV reverse transcriptase, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, HIV-2 reverse transcriptase, Sensiscript and Omniscript.

32. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of separating the first copies obtained from step c) from their templates and repeating step b).

33. The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of separating the extended second set of primers obtained from step f) from their templates and repeating step e).

34. The process of claim 1 , wherein step g) is carried out repeatedly.

35. The process of claim 1 , wherein said polymerizing means for synthesizing nucleic acid copies comprise polymerizing means for synthesizing nucleic acid copies by RNA transcription, strand displacement amplification or secondary structure amplification.

36. The process of claim 1 , wherein said third set of primers comprises at least one production center which differs in nucleotide sequence from said production center in the second set of primers.

37. The process of claim 1 , wherein said production center is an RNA promoter.

38. The process of claim 37 , wherein said RNA promoter is a phage RNA promoter.

39. The process of claim 38 , wherein said phage RNA promoter is selected from the group consisting of T3, T7 and SP6 phage RNA promoters.