The present invention provides a nucleotide having the formula,
Sig-PM-SM-BASE
wherein PM is a phosphate moiety, SM is a sugar moiety and BASE is a pyrimidine,
purine or 7-deazapurine moiety. PM is attached to the 3 or the 5
position of the sugar moiety when the nucleotide is a deoxyribonucleotide and at
the 2, 3 or 5 position when the nucleotide is a ribonucleotide.
BASE is attached to the 1 position of SM from the N1 position
when BASE is a pyrmidine or the N9 position when BASE is a purine or
7-deazapurine. Sig is covalently attached to PM directly or via a chemical linkage,
and represents a detectable moiety covalently attached to SM directly or through
a linkage group. Also provided are an oligo- or polynucleotide comprising at least
one such phosphate-moiety labeled nucleotide, and other compositions including
those wherein a polypeptide is terminally ligated or attached to the oligo- or
polynucleotide. The phosphate-moiety labeled nucleotide, and the oligo- or polynucleotides
and other compositions comprising such phosphate-moiety labeled nucleotides, are
useful as diagnostic tools for detecting analytes and as therapeutic agents.
