THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY OF RADIOLABELED OLIGONUCLEOTIDE ANALOGS - ARAPID AND SENSITIVE PURITY ASSAY

Oligonucleotide analogues are being developed for use in cell culture, animals and for therapy. Prior to use it is important to have an indi cation of the oligomers' purity. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) has b een applied to analyze phosphoromonothioate and phosphorodithioate oli gonucleotides radiolabeled with either P-32 or C-14. TLC coupled with radioactivity has been compared to Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE) and High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). TLC is a rapid and sensitive alternative to these methods and is particularly suited for chemically modified oligonucleotides.