Electrochemical study of the XNA on Gold™ microarray

A novel electrode array was developed based on the XNA on Gold(TM) microarray platform. The platform combines self-assembling monolayers, thick film patterning and streptavidin based immobilization to provide a robust, versatile platform capable of analysing virtually any biomolecule including nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. Electrochemical analysis of the self-assembling monolayer/streptavidin (SAMS) XNA on Gold(TM) coating revealed that the ferrocene redox current for the SAMS modified electrode was greater than that with a bare Gold(TM) electrode. The electrochemical reaction of K4Fe(CN)(6) was inhibited by the SAMS coating, but was reactivated upon addition of ferrocene. These results indicate that ferrocene is involved as a mediator in the electron transfer of K4Fe(CN)(6) to the SAMS modified electrode. Addition of DNA to the SAMS resulted in only a minor change in the electrochemical signal, indicating that XNA on Gold(TM) can be used for electrochemical based bioanalysis. After cycling a SAMS electrode 50 times, no signs of deterioration were detected showing that coating has excellent stability. In addition to the biosensing applications, the scheme provides a non-invasive method for accessing the quality of the SAMS coatings which is of industrial interest. These studies show that the XNA on Gold(TM) microarray platform can be used for electrochemical studies, thus providing an additional alternative for developing multianalyte biosensors as well as expanding the range of detection methods available for microarray analysis. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.