title: Inexpensive handheld device for the construction of high-density nucleic acid arrays.
abstract: We report an easy-to-use, 384-pin handheld arraying and replicating device (ARD) for constructing high-density replicas of nucleic acids and E. coli transformants. We have modified an existing 384-pin tool to include a novel guide system to ensure vertical pin movement and enhance reproducibility. An asymmetric rectangular multiplexing frame is designed to increase the array density to 1536 dots on a standard microplate-size nylon membrane and to reduce the time and effort involved in producing array replicas. Our initial studies used the ARD to construct 1536-dot arrays of ovarian cDNA clones. We have hybridized these arrays with 32P-labeled probes, which resulted in distinctive signals for either visual interpretation or semiautomatic spot detection and signal integration.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Molecular Biotechnology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schummer
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Bumgarner
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hood
mesh_terms: D001345:Autoradiography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D015139:Blotting, Southern / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization / Q000379:methods*; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D010053:Ovary / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009696:Nucleic Acids