Here we present our results on the electric field-induced melting of surface-bound DNA (i.e. electrochemical melting). In particular, we examine the effects of DNA-binding compounds, such as cisplatin, on the stability of DNA within high electric fields. Cisplatin is an anticancer drug that has been used to successfully treat testicular, ovarian, and bladder cancers, among others [1]. It crosslinks DNA between the N7 atoms of purine bases, resulting in changes in structure and stability, ultimately interfering with vital cellular processes in vivo. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of thiol-modified oligonucleotides on gold electrodes provide selective and sensitive interfaces for the development of chemical and biological sensors [2]. While many transduction mechanisms have been utilized (including electrochemical, optical, and gravimetric) and many analytes targeted (e.g. small DNA-binding molecules, heavy metals, and specific DNA sequences), the unique steric and electrostatic environment of the crowded DNA in the electrical double-layer complicates the behavior of these biosensors [3]. Electrical potentials applied at the DNA-SAM have been shown to modulate the behavior of these monolayers [4]. Here, we utilize the electric field-effect to induce melting of the bound double-stranded DNA, and we monitor the kinetics of the melting process using square wave voltammetry [5]. We find that the effect of cisplatin on the melting behavior depends on the method used to the prepare the monolayer, in particular the surface-coverage and heterogeneity of the resulting layers. In some instances, cisplatin results in a stabilization of the DNA-SAM and in others a destabilization. Significant differences in the resulting melting curves imply that the mode of cisplatin-DNA binding varies depending on the preparation method. This methodology has the potential of (1) providing an electrochemical approach for studying the interaction between DNA and small molecules, and (2) providing a method for indirectly assessing the heterogeneity of DNA-SAMs via electrochemical melting in the presence of cross-linking agents.[1] R. A. Alderden, M. D. Hall, T. W. Hambley, The discovery and development of cisplatin, Journal of chemical education, 83(5), (2006) 728.[2] J. J. Gooding and N. Darwish, The rise of self‐assembled monolayers for fabricating electrochemical biosensors—an interfacial perspective, The Chemical Record, 12, (2012) 92.[3] Gong and R. Levicky, DNA surface hybridization regimes, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105, (2008) 5301.[4] U. Rant, K. Arinaga, S. Fujita, N. Yokoyama, G. Abstreiter, M. Tornow, Electrical manipulation of oligonucleotides grafted to charged surfaces, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 4 (2006) 3448.[5] D. Ho, W. Hetrick, N. Le, A. Chin, R. M. West, Electric Field Induced DNA Melting with Detection by Square Wave Voltammetry, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 166, (2019) B236.
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