There are two ways of ordering:

1. The preferred way is order transmission through our Web Order Portal for most convenient online shopping (please refer here for further details).
2. You can order by sending us an e-mail at oligo@metabion.com with our pre-formatted excel order file as attachment. Download respective Order Form.
   

When you write your e-mail, please make sure to include the following required information in the excel template:

1. Name of the DLP/s.
2. Sequence of the DLP/s in 5’-3’ orientation. 
   
3. Yield range.
4. Purification required.
5. Delivery form (dry/in water/buffer + concentration).
6. Modifications.
   

If you are a new customer, please additionally provide us with:

1. Your shipping and billing address.
2. Any other information like Purchase Order number, VAT number (VAT only for customers resident in the EU), etc.

In case you choose to transmit orders via e-mail using your own format(s), we need to alert you that above mentioned information in bold print is obligatory for processing your order. Due to extra efforts necessary for individual order format transfer into our system, order processing will take longer as compared to preferred web orders and pre-formatted e-mails. Please note that only files updated to the latest excel/word version (e.g. .xlsx or .docx) are accepted.

How can you convert files to newer formats?
Open the file in a recent Office program and save the file in a newer format. For this go to “File” → “Save as” and choose the newer format from the “Save as type” dropdown menu.

If you want to connect your eProcurement System with our Web Order Portal (e.g. OCI - Open Catalog Interface), please simply contact our Customer Service (customerservice@metabion.com).

The expected average in-house turnover time is 4–5 working days. Please note that we perform strict quality controls on your ordered DLPs. In case one or more DLPs do not pass our quality control, they will have to be resynthesized. This may, of course, result in a delay.

Using our optimized production pipeline, we can deliver DLPs of over 40 bases. The maximum length of an oligonucleotide depends both on the sequence and on the modifications of interest. For example, consider a DLP having a reporter at the 5’-end and a quencher at the 3’-end. The length of the DLP can compromise the activity of the quencher, if the distance between reporter and quencher is too high. Therefore, we consider a length of 40 bases as maximum, for a DLP probe to function optimally.

However, you can now go beyond this limit with our ZNA technology! Want to learn more? Click here.

With this technology, the quencher is brought in closer proximity to the dye and its effect is optimized. You only need to take into account that the Tm of the resulting probe will be higher, compared to that of a native (non-ZNA) probe. To get best performance for your experiments, we can help you designing your probe. Please do not hesitate to contact us!

For a detail explanation of DLPs and their use in qPCR, or for more information regarding how to design probes for qPCR, please refer to our Knowledge-hub.

You also need to consider the following:

The label on the DLP tube shows basic information like oligo name, name of person who ordered, DLP sequence including modifications, oligo ID, amount of DNA (OD₂₆₀ and nmol), Tm, and molecular weight.

In addition, you will receive a synthesis report containing more detailed information on the physical-chemical properties of the oligo, such as base composition, base count, purification grade, amount of DNA (OD₂₆₀ and nmol), Tm and molecular weight. DLPs are HPLC purified by default and you will also get a printout of the preparative chromatogram. Additionally, you will receive a hard copy of the mass check spectrum.

The following terminology is used for differentiating between offered QC options including respective documentation coverage in our order forms and on supporting documents delivered with the products:

Mass Check
Standard quality control performed on each and every oligo. Either MALDI- or ESI-ToF, subject to the "nature of the oligo", and metabion internal procedures. This service is free of charge and you will receive a hard copy of the Mass Check spectrum.

Mass Check + Analytical HPLC
Explicitly ordered and performed Mass Check (MALDI-ToF or ESI-ToF subject to the "nature of the oligo" and metabion internal procedures) and Analytical HPLC (see FAQ "What is the difference between preparative and analytical HPLC?"). Product delivered with analytical HPLC and MS spectra. Additional charges apply.

To gain a maximum shelf life for oligonucleotides, samples should generally be stored dehydrated at ≤ –15 °C in absence of light. Under the mentioned conditions, samples are stable for at least 6 months. In case of a longer storage period, oligos should be pretested for molecular integrity prior to experimental use. If a sterile solution (e.g. water, biological buffer) is used as diluent, the re-suspended the probe will be stable at 20 °C for several days to weeks, at 4 °C for about a month. If stored frozen at –20 °C or –70 °C, it will remain stable for several months.

For correct storing and best performance of your probe, we recommend the following:

• Avoid repeated freeze-thaw, as this will denature the probe;
• Avoid the use of distilled water as a diluent, since its pH may be as low as 4–5. The probe stability in solution depends on the pH. Dissolving probes into acidic solutions may result in oligo degradation. Therefore, use purified distilled water;
• Minimize the exposure of fluorescent probes to light, to avoid any bleaching effect;
• Store probes highly concentrated and not in working dilutions, if you are not planning to use them within 24 hours. The higher the dilution factor, the faster the fluorescent activity fades away. Therefore, try to store highly concentrated aliquots frozen, thaw them only once, dilute them just before you use the probe and store the aliquots at 4 °C in the dark.

Purified distilled water, TE or any biological buffers (i.e. with physiological pH) are acceptable as diluents. The recommended diluent volume is 100 µl - 1 ml, the concentration depending on the application to be used and the yield of the resulting product (see also FAQ "How stable is my probe once I have resuspended it?").

Standard concentration for PCR primers is 0.1 mM.

MGB (Minor Groove Binder), ZNA® and LNA (Locked Nucleic Acids) are known to increase the Tm of an oligo sequence.

MGB probes include a minor groove binder moiety at the 3’ end that increases the melting temperature (T_m) of the probe and stabilizes the hybridization of the probe DNA to its target sequence. The introduction of the minor groove binder moiety is sequence-independent, meaning the core sequence remains “unmodified”.

ZNA®s are oligonucleotides conjugated with repeated cationic spermine units that decrease electrostatic repulsions with target nucleic acid strands, and greatly improve hybridization properties by enhanced affinity to the complementary target sequence as well as increased stability of the formed duplex at an unprecedented specificity. The “Tm boost” generated by adding ZNA® to either end of the oligonucleotide probe is significant and also sequence-independent.

In contrast LNA probes rely on modified nucleotide chemistry with regard to the sugar component involved, while the organic base component is “unmodified” and thus follows Watson-Crick base-pairing rules when mixed with DNA or RNA bases in an oligonucleotide. When incorporated into an oligonucleotide probe, locked nucleic acid monomers increase structural stability, resulting in a raise of the formed duplex´melting temperature (Tm). Locked Nucleic acids are not recognized by DNA/RNAses as a substrate, hence LNA modified oligonucleotides also display significant resistance to nucleases.

In summary, metabion offers all three duplex stability enhancing modifications, and therefore provides greatest flexibility in assay design and choosing the right option for your required application.