Synthesis of fluorescently labelled oligonucleotides and nucleic acids

The demand for and application of fluorescently labelled nucleic acid materials are growing, driven by ventures such as the Human Genome Mapping Project and the advent of DNA-based clinical diagnostics. This article surveys the strategies that are currently available for conjugation of fluorescent molecules to oligonucleotides and nucleic acids, and demonstrates how the labelled materials have been used in new and innovative assays for probing nucleic acid structure and properties.