Correlation between microarray DNA hybridization efficiency and the position of short capture probe on the target nucleic acid

The hybridization behavior of small oligonucleotides arrayed on glass slides is currently unpredictable. In order to examine the hybridization efficiency of capture probes along target nucleic acid, 20-mer oligonucleotide probes were designed to hybridize at different distances from the 5' end of two overlapping 402- and 432-bp ermB products amplified from the target DNA. These probes were immobilized via their 5' end onto glass slides and hybridized with the two labeled products. Evaluation of the hybridization signal for each probe revealed an inverse correlation with the length of the 5' overhanging end of the captured strand and the hybridization signal intensity. Further experiments demonstrated that this phenomenon is dependent on the reassociation kinetics of the free overhanging tail of the captured DNA strand with its complementary strand. This study delineates key predictable parameters that govern the hybridization efficiency of short capture probes arrayed on glass slides. This should be most useful for designing arrays for detection of PCR products and nucleotide polymorphisms.     

凝胶基片的制备与应用研究

在Bind-Silane^R处理的玻片上交联聚丙烯酰胺凝胶层(15mm×15mm×20μm),戊二醛活化。与末端氨基修饰的寡核苷酸片段共价结合制成芯片。这种芯片能够区分液相中序列不同的Cy3标记的目标核酸。与平面基片相比,凝胶基片具有背景低、固定探针量高、杂交时间短的优点。将细胞因子IL-4、IL-5、IL-6、IL-7、ANG、I-309和VEGF的单克隆抗体加样于凝胶基片上制成蛋白质芯片,对乳腺癌患者和正常人的血清进行检测,发现乳腺癌患者细胞因子IL-4、IL-5、I-309和VEGF的表达量高于正常人的表达量,对临床诊断具有重要的参考意义。     

Increasing the sensitivity of DNA microarrays by metal-enhanced fluorescence using surface-bound silver nanoparticles

The effects of metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) have been measured for two dyes commonly used in DNA microarrays, Cy3 and Cy5. Silver island films (SIFs) grown on glass microscope slides were used as substrates for MEF DNA arrays. We examined MEF by spotting biotinylated, singly-labeled 23 bp DNAs onto avidin-coated SIF substrates. The fluorescence enhancement was found to be dependent on the DNA spotting concentration: below ~12.5 μM, MEF increased linearly, and at higher concentrations MEF remained at a constant maximum of 28-fold for Cy5 and 4-fold for Cy3, compared to avidin-coated glass substrates. Hybridization of singly-labeled oligonucleotides to arrayed single-stranded probes showed lower maximal MEF factors of 10-fold for Cy5 and 2.5-fold for Cy3, because of the smaller amount of immobilized fluorophores as a result of reduced surface hybridization efficiencies. We discuss how MEF can be used to increase the sensitivity of DNA arrays, especially for far red emitting fluorophores like Cy5, without significantly altering current microarray protocols.     

Detection of mutations using microarrays of poly(C)10-poly(T)10 modified DNA probes immobilized on agarose films

Allele-specific hybridization to a DNA microarray can be a useful method for genotyping patient DNA. In this article, we demonstrate that 13- to 17-base oligonucleotides tagged with a poly(T)10-poly(C)10 tail (TC tag), but otherwise unmodified, can be crosslinked by UV light irradiation to an agarose film grafted onto unmodified glass. Microarrays of TC-tagged probes immobilized on the agarose film can be used to diagnose mutations in the human beta-globin gene, which encodes the beta-chains in hemoglobin. Although the probes differed widely regarding melting point temperature ( approximately 20 degrees C), a single stringency wash still gave sufficiently high discrimination signals between perfect match and mismatch probes to allow robust mutation detection. In all, 270 genotypings were performed on patient materials, and no genotype was incorrectly classified. Quality control experiments conducted using a target DNA specific for the TC tag of the immobilized probes showed that the spotting and hybridization procedure had a variance of 20%, indicating that signal differences as low as twofold could be detected between perfect match and mismatch. Together, our results show that the use of microarrays of TC-tagged probes that have been immobilized on agarose films grafted onto glass is a robust and inexpensive genotyping method.     

Evaluation of thin films of agarose on glass for hybridization of DNA to identify plant pathogens with microarray technology

Agarose-coated glass slides, after activation, were spotted with amine-modified oligonucleotide probes using a manual eight-pin arraying device. Two probes, designed to identify two common greenhouse fungal plant pathogens, Didymella bryoniae and Botrytis cinerea, were hybridized with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified fluorescently labeled DNA extracted from pure culture and from diseased plant tissue. The probes easily distinguished these pathogens from each other without cross reaction. Thickness of the agarose layer and length of the sample DNA were important factors affecting hybridization efficiency of immobilized probe to PCR product. These factors did not affect hybridization with short complementary oligonucleotide. Probes fixed on agarose-coated slides could differentiate samples as readily as probes on nylon but with potentially higher spot density and gave much better signal than probes on silylated slides. The use of plain glass slides, agarose, and a manual arrayer makes this technique useful for developing specialized and inexpensive DNA microarrays on a solid rigid substrate.     

蛋白质微阵列检测抗原-抗体相互作用

为了制备蛋白质微阵列和研究芯片表面抗原-抗体的相互作用,研究了如何在玻片表面固化蛋白质和用荧光染料（Cy3,Cy5）对蛋白质进行标记.结果表明,在醛基修饰的玻璃表面,通过共价偶联的方法将抗原或抗体固定到芯片表面,能使二者保持其特异性结合能力.同时,荧光标记后的抗原或抗体仍然具有特异性结合能力.蛋白质微阵列是通过机械手在玻片表面排阵制作的.芯片上的荧光信号获取采用了激光共焦荧光扫描系统.用不同浓度的抗原探针阵列,对其相应的抗体靶分子的特异性结合进行了分析和研究.此外,还通过在玻片表面固定兔IgG和固定鼠IgG,对羊抗兔和羊抗鼠抗体与其相应抗原的特异性相互作用进行了检测.     

An inexpensive and simple method for thermally stable immobilization of DNA on an unmodified glass surface: UV linking of poly(T)10-poly(C)10-tagged DNA probes

Microarrays printed on glass slides are often constructed by covalently linking modified oligonucleotide probes to a derivatized surface at considerable expense. In this article, we demonstrate that 14-base oligonucleotides with a poly(T)10 - poly(C)10 tail (TC tag), but otherwise unmodified, can be linked by UV light irradiation onto a plain, unmodified glass surface. Probes immobilized onto unmodified glass microscope slides performed similarly to probes bound to commercial amino-silane-coated slides and had comparable detection limits. The TC-tagged probes linked to unmodified glass did not show any significant decrease in hybridization performance after a 20 min incubation in water at 100 degrees C prior to rehybridization, indicating a covalent bond between the TC tag and unmodified glass. The probes were used in thermal minisequencing cycling reactions. Furthermore, the TC tag improved the hybridization performance of the immobilized probes on the amino-silane surface, indicating a general benefit of adding a TC tag to DNA probes. In conclusion, our results show that using TC-tagged DNA probes immobilized on an unmodified glass surface is a robust, heat-stable, very simple, and inexpensive method for manufacturing DNA microarrays.     

蛋白质微阵列生产用琼脂糖修饰玻片制备的条件优化

目的:建立一种以琼脂糖修饰的玻片为载体的蛋白质微阵列制备的优化方法,比较琼脂糖修饰玻片和醛基修饰玻片及氨基修饰玻片对蛋白质固定效率的优劣。方法:将羊IgG固定在载体表面,经过洗涤、封闭,再加入Cy3标记的兔抗羊IgG,孵育,洗涤后用共聚焦激光扫描仪获取图像,检测各点的荧光强度,根据荧光强度确定最佳琼脂糖浓度,最佳NaIO4浓度,最佳固定时间以及封闭时间等实验条件。结果:琼脂糖浓度为1.2％、NaIO4浓度为20mmol／L、固定时间为1h、孵育时间为45min时,蛋白质在载体上的固定效率和反应活性最高。在固定的抗体浓度相同的情况下,琼脂糖修饰玻片荧光强度是醛基修饰玻片的2.6倍,是氨基修饰玻片的9倍。结论:确立了蛋白质微阵列生产用琼脂糖修饰玻片制备的优化条件,用该优化条件制备的琼脂糖玻片更适合用于蛋白质微阵列载体。     

GFP质控芯片的初步研究

目的：建立一种质量控制芯片来监测样品标记、杂交和检测过程中的失误。方法：针对GFP基因设计的4条60mer寡核苷酸探针和1条阳性对照探针polv（U）与流感寡核苷酸探针一起打印在DAKO玻片上,并构建了GFP基因的克隆载体和体外表达载体,将从这两种重组载体上获得的绿色荧光蛋白（Green Fluorescent Protein,GFP）基因的ILNA、DNA片段和人的全血样品中的DNA用限制性显示技术（Restriction Display technology,RD）扩增标记,将标记的样品和荧光标记的通用引物U分别与芯片杂交、检测,并对扫描的结果进行统计分析。结果：GFP探针与相应的样品杂交时出现阳性信号,阳性对照探针在所有的杂交中均出现阳性信号,而空白对照则未检测荧光信号。结论：建立的质控芯片具有较好的敏感性和特异性,可以用于基因芯片中的质量监控。     

Improving protein array performance: focus on washing and storage conditions

For protein microarrays, maintaining protein stability during the slide processing steps of washing, drying, and storage is of major concern. Although several studies have focused on the stability of immobilized antibodies in antibody microarrays, studies on protein-protein interaction arrays and enzyme arrays are lacking. In this paper we used five bait-prey protein interaction pairs and three enzymes to optimize the washing, drying, and storage conditions for protein arrays. The protein arrays for the study were fabricated by combining HaloTag technology and cell-free protein expression. The HaloTag technology, in combination with cell-free expression, allowed rapid expression and immobilization of fusion proteins on hydrogel-coated glass slides directly from cell extracts without any prior purification. Experimental results indicate enzyme captured on glass slides undergoes significant loss of activity when washed and spin-dried using only phosphate buffer, as is typically done with antibody arrays. The impact of washing and spin-drying in phosphate buffer on protein-protein interaction arrays was minimal. However, addition of 5% glycerol to the wash buffer helps retain enzyme activity during washing and drying. We observed significant loss of enzyme activity when slides were stored dry at 4 degrees C, however immobilized enzymes remained active for 30 days when stored at -20 degrees C in 50% glycerol. We also found that cell-free extract containing HaloTag-fused enzymes could undergo multiple freeze/thaw cycles without any adverse impact on enzyme activity. The findings indicate that for large ongoing studies, proteins of interest expressed in cell-free extract can be stored at -70 degrees C and repeatedly used to print small batches of protein array slides to be used over a few weeks.     

Fluorescence labeling, purification, and immobilization of a double cysteine mutant calmodulin fusion protein for single-molecule experiments

We present a method of labeling and immobilizing a low-molecular-weight protein, calmodulin (CaM), by fusion to a larger protein, maltose binding protein (MBP), for single-molecule fluorescence experiments. Immobilization in an agarose gel matrix eliminates potential interactions of the protein and the fluorophore(s) with a glass surface and allows prolonged monitoring of protein dynamics. The small size of CaM hinders its immobilization in low-weight-percentage agarose gels; however, fusion of CaM to MBP via a flexible linker provides sufficient restriction of translational mobility in 1% agarose gels. Cysteine residues were engineered into MBP.CaM (MBP-T34C,T110C-CaM) and labeled with donor and acceptor fluorescent probes yielding a construct (MBP.CaM-DA) which can be used for single-molecule single-pair fluorescence resonance energy transfer (spFRET) experiments. Mass spectrometry was used to verify the mass of MBP.CaM-DA. Assays measuring the activity of CaM reveal minimal activity differences between wild-type CaM and MBP.CaM-DA. Single-molecule fluorescence images of the donor and acceptor dyes were fit to a two-dimensional Gaussian function to demonstrate colocalization of donor and acceptor dyes. FRET is demonstrated both in bulk fluorescence spectra and in fluorescence trajectories of single MBP.CaM-DA molecules. The extension of this method to other biomolecules is also proposed.     

Portable System for Microbial Sample Preparation and Oligonucleotide Microarray Analysis

We have developed a three-component system for microbial identification that consists of (i) a universal syringe-operated silica minicolumn for successive DNA and RNA isolation, fractionation, fragmentation, fluorescent labeling, and removal of excess free label and short oligonucleotides; (ii) microarrays of immobilized oligonucleotide probes for 16S rRNA identification; and (iii) a portable battery-powered device for imaging the hybridization of fluorescently labeled RNA fragments with the arrays. The minicolumn combines a guanidine thiocyanate method of nucleic acid isolation with a newly developed hydroxyl radical-based technique for DNA and RNA labeling and fragmentation. DNA and RNA can also be fractionated through differential binding of double- and single-stranded forms of nucleic acids to the silica. The procedure involves sequential washing of the column with different solutions. No vacuum filtration steps, phenol extraction, or centrifugation is required. After hybridization, the overall fluorescence pattern is captured as a digital image or as a Polaroid photo. This three-component system was used to discriminate Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus thuringiensis, and human HL60 cells. The procedure is rapid: beginning with whole cells, it takes approximately 25 min to obtain labeled DNA and RNA samples and an additional 25 min to hybridize and acquire the microarray image using a stationary image analysis system or the portable imager.     

Portable system for microbial sample preparation and oligonucleotide microarray analysis

We have developed a three-component system for microbial identification that consists of (i) a universal syringe-operated silica minicolumn for successive DNA and RNA isolation, fractionation, fragmentation, fluorescent labeling, and removal of excess free label and short oligonucleotides; (ii) microarrays of immobilized oligonucleotide probes for 16S rRNA identification; and (iii) a portable battery-powered device for imaging the hybridization of fluorescently labeled RNA fragments with the arrays. The minicolumn combines a guanidine thiocyanate method of nucleic acid isolation with a newly developed hydroxyl radical-based technique for DNA and RNA labeling and fragmentation. DNA and RNA can also be fractionated through differential binding of double- and single-stranded forms of nucleic acids to the silica. The procedure involves sequential washing of the column with different solutions. No vacuum filtration steps, phenol extraction, or centrifugation is required. After hybridization, the overall fluorescence pattern is captured as a digital image or as a Polaroid photo. This three-component system was used to discriminate Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus thuringiensis, and human HL60 cells. The procedure is rapid: beginning with whole cells, it takes approximately 25 min to obtain labeled DNA and RNA samples and an additional 25 min to hybridize and acquire the microarray image using a stationary image analysis system or the portable imager.     

Fabrication of DNA microarrays using unmodified oligonucleotide probes

Microarrays printed on glass slides are often constructed by covalently linking oligonucleotide probes to a derivatized surface. These procedures typically require relatively expensive amine- or thiol-modified oligonucleotide probes that add considerable expense to larger arrays. We describe a system by which unmodified oligonucleotide probes are bound to either nonderivatized or epoxy-silane-derivatized glass slides. Biotinylated PCR products are heat denatured, hybridized to the arrays, and detected using an enzymatic amplification system. Unmodified probes appear to detach from the slide surface at high pH (> 10.0), suggesting that hydrogen bonding plays a significant role in probe attachment. Regardless of surface preparation, high temperature (up to 65 degrees C) and low ionic strength (deionized water) do not disturb probe attachment; hence, the fabrication method described here is suitable for a wide range of hybridization stringencies and conditions. We illustrate kinetics of room temperature hybridizations for probes attached to nonderivatized slides, and we demonstrate that unmodified probes produce hybridization signals equal to amine-modified, covalently bound probes. Our method provides a cost-effective alternative to conventional attachment strategies that is particularly suitable for genotyping PCR products with nucleic acid microarrays.     

Minisequencing on oligonucleotide microarrays: comparison of immobilisation chemistries

In the microarray format of the minisequencing method multiple oligonucleotide primers immobilised on a glass surface are extended with fluorescent ddNTPs using a DNA polymerase. The method is a promising tool for large-scale single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection. We have compared eight chemical methods for covalent immobilisation of the oligonucleotide primers on glass surfaces. We included both commercially available, activated slides and slides that were modified by ourselves. In the comparison the differently derivatised glass slides were evaluated with respect to background fluorescence, efficiency of attaching oligonucleotides and performance of the primer arrays in minisequencing reactions. We found that there are significant differences in background fluorescence levels among the different coatings, and that the attachment efficiency, which was measured indirectly using extension by terminal transferase, varied largely depending on which immobilisation strategy was used. We also found that the attachment chemistry affects the genotyping accuracy, when minisequencing on microarrays is used as the genotyping method. The best genotyping results were observed using mercaptosilane-coated slides attaching disulfide-modified oligonucleotides.     

DNA microarrays with unimolecular hairpin double-stranded DNA probes: fabrication and exploration of sequence-specific DNA/protein interactions

We have fabricated double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) microarrays containing unimolecular hairpin dsDNA probes immobilized on glass slides. The unimolecular hairpin dsDNA microarrays were manufactured by four steps: Firstly, synthesizing single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oligonucleotides with two reverse-complementary sequences at 3' hydroxyl end and an overhang sequence at 5' amino end. Secondly, microspotting ssDNA on glutaraldehyde-derived glass slide to form ssDNA microarrays. Thirdly, annealing two reverse-complementary sequences to form hairpin primer at 3' end of immobilized ssDNA and thus to create partial-dsDNA microarray. Fourthly, enzymatically extending hairpin primer to convert partial-dsDNA microarrays into complete-dsDNA microarray. The excellent efficiency and high accuracy of the enzymatic synthesis were demonstrated by incorporation of fluorescently labeled dUTPs in Klenow extension and digestion of dsDNA microarrays with restriction endonuclease. The accessibility and specificity of the DNA-binding proteins binding to dsDNA microarrays were verified by binding Cy3-labeled NF-kappaB to dsDNA microarrays. The dsDNA microarrays have great potential to provide a high-throughput platform for investigation of sequence-specific DNA/protein interactions involved in gene expression regulation, restriction and so on.     

Characterization of an inexpensive, nontoxic, and highly sensitive microarray substrate

An agarose film has been proposed as an efficient substrate for producing microarrays. The original film preparation procedure was simplified significantly by grafting the agarose layer directly onto unmodified microscope glass slides instead of aminated glass slides, and the blocking procedure was replaced with a wash in 0.1x standard saline citrate (SSC) and 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) without decreasing the performance of the produced microarrays. Characterization of the grafted agarose film using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the agarose film had a 10-fold increase in surface roughness compared to glass and that the interior of the agarose film was porous, with pore sizes between 100-500 nm. A comparison of hybridization on aldehyde-activated agarose-coated microarray slides and commercial amino-reactive microarray slides showed that aldehyde-activated agarose-coated slides had the highest signal-to-noise ratio of 850, suggesting that the aldehyde-activated agarose microarray slides are suitable in applications where analytes have a wide concentration range. By immobilizing the DNA probes using ultraviolet (UV) light, the signal-to-noise ratio was further increased to 3000 on the agarose microarray slides. The specificity of the UV cross-linked DNA probes was demonstrated using 21 and 25 bp long capture probes, enabling discrimination of target molecules differing in only one base.     

介质表面修饰对蛋白质芯片固定率和反应性的影响

评价最常用的二种玻璃表面修饰方法对蛋白质芯片质量的影响．选择蛋白质的固定效率、反应性作为检测指标,对戊二醛修饰法和多聚赖氨酸修饰法进行比较,由机械手将探针蛋白质分别固定在两种玻片上,靶蛋白用荧光染料Cy3标记,两种修饰方法的芯片均可使蛋白质保持较好的固定效率和反应活性．由共价键偶联的醛基修饰玻片制备的蛋白质芯片不仅有更高的反应活性,而且图象佳,但背景偏高、用醛基修饰的玻片制备蛋白质芯片是较理想的选择、     

银染增强的纳米金标记探针对微量核酸的检测

本研究利用银染增强的纳米金技术建立了一种简单快速的核酸定量方法.该方法基于纳米金与烷巯基修饰的寡核苷酸分子共价键合作用,将纳米微粒报告基团标记在与靶核酸一端序列互补的寡核苷酸上,同时生物素化修饰另一端互补序列.靶核酸与两段寡核苷酸探针杂交后,借亲和素固定在酶标板孔内,通过纳米金催化的银染放大效应产生高灵敏的识别信号,适时记录其吸光度值从而实现核酸分子的定量.该检测方法检测单链核酸分子的灵敏度达0.1 fM,双链分子为10 fM.     

Hybridization of DNA with oligonucleotides immobilized in a gel: a convenient method for recording single base replacements

In an attempt to develop a reliable system for DNA sequence analysis with multiple hybridization probes, oligonucleotides down to 8 bases long were covalently immobilized in a thin layer of polyacrylamide gel fixed on a glass plate. It was shown possible to detect single base changes in DNA by hybridization of the immobilized oligonucleotides with radioactively and fluorescently labeled DNA fragments. Moreover, it was found that dissociation temperatures of differently GC-rich duplexes could be equalized by appropriate choice of immobilized oligonucleotides concentrations. A model accounting for this phenomenon is presented. In order to make the system more compact, a rectangular matrix of 200 mm dots of immobilized oligonucleotides ("hybridization chip") was designed which offered the sensitivity of 20 attomoles per dot for fluorescent DNA fragment. The applications and perspectives of the approach are discussed.