Published online 1 August 2005
Methods Online |
An ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical nucleic acid biosensor
1Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology 31 Biopolis Way, Singapore 138669 2School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore 639798
*To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +65 6824 7113; Fax: +65 6478 9084; Email: zqgao{at}ibn.a-star.edu.sg
Received May 8, 2005. Revised July 5, 2005. Accepted July 18, 2005.
A simple and ultrasensitive procedure for non-labeling detection of nucleic acids is described in this study. It is based on the photoelectrochemical detection of target nucleic acids by forming a nucleic acid/photoreporter adduct layer on an ITO electrode. The target nucleic acids were hybridized with immobilized oligonucleotide capture probes on the ITO electrode. A subsequent binding of a photoreportera photoactive threading bis-intercalator consisting of two N,N'-bis(3-propyl-imidazole)-1,4,5,8-naphthalene diimides (PIND) linked by a
(bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) complex (PINDRuPIND)allowed for photoelectrochemical detection of the target nucleic acids. The extremely low dissociation rate of the adduct and the highly reversible photoelectrochemical response under visible light illumination (490 nm) make it possible to conduct nucleic acid detection, with a sensitivity enhancement of four orders of magnitude over voltammetry. These results demonstrate for the first time the potential of photoelectrochemical biosensors for PCR-free ultrasensitive detection of nucleic acids.