title: Structure-Specific Liquid Crystal Anchoring Induced by the Molecular Combing of Short Oligonucleotides.
abstract: Surface-immobilized oligonucleotides were "combed" by meniscus motion and exposed to a nematic liquid crystal (LC). Although the oligonucleotides were as short as 16 bases, they were apparently oriented by this process and, in turn, successfully biased the orientation of the adjacent LC material. Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) induced LC orientation in the combing direction, while hybridized double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) rotated the azimuthal LC orientation by ∼30° from the combing direction. The sensitivity of the chiral response to mixed ssDNA/dsDNA surfaces was characterized by employing complementary DNA that was longer than the immobilized DNA, resulting in single-stranded overhangs of various lengths. A rotated LC orientation was observed even when more than 70% of the DNA was single-stranded, and the transition from the rotated to nonrotated response was apparently discontinuous as a function of ssDNA surface coverage. These phenomena represent a sensitive DNA hybridization detection strategy that can potentially comprise a multiplexed assay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
authors.forename: Saonti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Noonan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monserud
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University of Colorado Boulder , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
authors.forename: Daniel K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000737:chemistry; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry*; D012821:Silanes / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D012821:Silanes; D004247:DNA
keywords: DNA; azimuthal LC rotation; biosensor; heterogeneity; hybridization; liquid crystals; quantitative analysis