%0 Journal Article
%T Measurement of Temperature Induced Unfolding of DNA Hairpins by Microcantilever Sensors
%A Joseph D. Ng
%A Jeffrey J. Dowell
%A Asit K. Kar
%A Karolyn Hansen
%A Thomas Thundat
%A Michael A. George
%J Open Journal of Applied Biosensor
%P 78-82
%@ 2168-5398
%D 2013
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ojab.2013.23010
%X <span>The technical feasibility of monitoring DNA melting and cooling transitions using a microcantilever substrate has been demonstrated and these results were compared with those measured in solution by circular dichroism. DNA hairpins have been immobilized on the surface of gold-coated microcantilever surfaces and their DNA melting and cooling transitions were monitored by nanomechanical deflections. The hairpins comprised of a 16 base-pair GACA repeat motif stem duplex with a 29<br />
nucleotide variable region. Microcantilever deflection profiles, measured by the microcantilever response as a function of temperature, were unique to different hairpins indicative of the molecules¡¯ general stability and denaturation characteristics. The major melting and cooling transition temperatures for all three immobilized oli</span><span>gonucleotides were between 41<sup>¡£</sup></span><span>C</span><span> </span><span>-</span><span> </span><span>52<sup>¡£</sup></span><span>C<span>. The composition and flexibility of the DNA stem loops were shown to influence the thermal transitions.</span></span><span></span><br />
<br />
%K Hairpin DNA
%K Microcantilever
%K Thermal Melting
%K Unfolding
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=35373