Polymer-anchored DNA gene monolayers

Monolayers of DNA chains of polymeric dimensions, considered here to be longer than ∼100 nucleotides, are widely encountered in biomolecular diagnostics as well as present for a model system for investigating behavior of polyelectrolytes at interfaces. A major challenge in advancing such applications is assembling the DNA on the surface in a controlled way. Although covalent immobilization is expected to produce optimal stability, the multitude of potential reactive sites along the contour of long DNA molecules requires that any chemical transformations be strictly site-specific to preserve control over attachment geometry and function. A synthetic approach to fabricating monolayers of DNA genes on gold using polymeric anchor (adhesion) films is presented that (i) possesses stringent site-specificity of surface-attachment, (ii) exhibits excellent stability to elevated temperatures, allowing denaturation of duplex chains at 90 °C without loss of surface-linked strands, and (iii) achieves surface coverages suitable for investigating multichain polyelectrolyte behavior in regimes of strong interchain interactions. Copyright © 2004 American Chemical Society.