DNA-metal ion interactions are critical for stabilizing conformations of double stranded (ds) DNA and through specific binding sites will influence the interaction of DNA with other molecules. It has been shown that different metal ions bind to different sites within nucleic acids. Work in this thesis exploits the interactions of Zn2+ with nucleic acids that are linked to surfaces. Zn2+ can interact with the phosphodiester backbone and engage in interactions with the purine nucleobases. Electrochemical studies of ds-DNA films have demonstrated that in the presence of Zn2+ films containing a single nucleotide mismatch give rise to a specific electrochemical signature. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) allows the discrimination of mismatched DNA films from those that are fully matched by monitoring differences in the resistance of charge transfer. Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) allows multiplexing of the data acquisition and monitoring of the current response I, which is attenuated as a function of mismatch. In this thesis, various potential factors were explored in detail that may impact the discrimination of nucleotide mismatches in ds-DNA films by EIS and SECM. These factors include the position of the mismatch, its type, the number of mismatches, the length of the DNA duplex, and the length of target sequences. In particular, when the two strands are of unequal length, the resulting nucleotide overhang may mask the mismatch signature. Such overhangs are expected in real biosensor applications, in which the DNA is isolated from cellular targets. Results presented here clearly demonstrate that mismatches are readily distinguished from fully matched strands even in overhang systems, suggesting that this approach has promise for realistic sensor applications.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OTU.1807/34917 |
| Date | 07 January 2013 |
| Creators | Shamsi, Mohtashim Hassan |
| Contributors | Kraatz, Heinz-Bernhard |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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