Preparation of nucleic acid samples

Abstract

The presently claimed invention provides methods, compositions, and apparatus for studying nucleic acids Specifically, the present invention provides a novel enrichment and labeling strategy for ribonucleic acids In one embodiment, the invention provides enriching for a population of interest in a complex population by diminishing the presence of a target sequence In a further embodiment the invention can be used to reproducibly label and detect extremely small amounts of nucleic acids

1 . A method of preparing a nucleic acid comprising 
 increasing the relative percentage of a population of nucleic acids of interest within a mixed population of nucleic acids, wherein said population of interest comprises a plurality of nucleic acid sequences, comprising 
 (a) contacting a nucleic acid sample with a bait molecule, wherein said bait molecule is capable of complexing specifically to a target sequence, but not to said sequences in said population of interest, under such conditions as to allow for the formation of a bait target complex,  
 (b) removing said bait target complex from said mixed population thereby resulting in an increase in the relative percentage of said population of interest,  
   fragmenting the sequences from said population of interest to produce fragments, and    adding a signal moiety to the fragments    
     
     
         2 - 69 . (canceled)