title: Facilitation of Polymerase Chain Reaction with Poly(ethylene glycol)-Engrafted Graphene Oxide Analogous to a Single-Stranded-DNA Binding Protein.
abstract: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a versatile DNA amplification method, is a fundamental technology in modern life sciences and molecular diagnostics. After multiple rounds of PCR, however, nonspecific DNA fragments are often produced and the amplification efficiency and fidelity decrease. Here, we demonstrated that poly(ethylene glycol)-engrafted nanosized graphene oxide (PEG-nGO) can significantly improve the PCR specificity and efficiency. PEG-nGO allows the specificity to be maintained even after multiple rounds of PCR, allowing reliable amplification at low annealing temperatures. PEG-nGO decreases the nonspecific annealing of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), such as primer dimerization and false priming, by adsorbing excess primers. Moreover, PEG-nGO interrupts the reannealing of denatured template DNA by preferentially binding to ssDNA. Thus, PEG-nGO enhances the PCR specificity by preferentially binding to ssDNA without inhibiting DNA polymerase, which is analogous to the role of ssDNA binding proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University Neundong-ro 120, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyo Ryoung
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University Neundong-ro 120, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ahruem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University Neundong-ro 120, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Il Joon
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University Neundong-ro 120, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Eun
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry*; D010087:Oxides; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D010087:Oxides; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D006108:Graphite
keywords: graphene oxide; nanomaterials; poly(ethylene glycol); polymerase chain reaction; single-stranded DNA