Four types of polyacrylamide or polydimethyl-acrylamide gels for regioselective (by immobilization at the 3' end) of short oligonucleotides have been designed for use in manufacturing oligonucleotide microchips. Two of these supports contain amino or aldehyde groups in the gel, allowing coupling with oligonucleotides bearing aldehyde or amino groups, respectively, in the presence of a reducing agent. The aldehyde gel support showed a higher immobilization efficiency relative to the amino gel. Of all reducing agents tested, the best results were obtained with a pyridine-borane complex. The other supports are based on an acrylamide gel activated with glutaraldehyde or a hydroxyalkyl-functionalized gel treated with mesyl chloride. The use of dimethylacrylamide instead of acrylamide allows subsequent gel modifications in organic solvents. All the immobilization methods are easy and simple to perform, give high and reproducible yields, allow long durations of storage of the activated support, and provide high stability of attachment and low non-specific binding. Although these gel supports have been developed for preparing oligonucleotide microchips, they may be used for other purposes as well.
The manufacturing of microchips containing oligonucleotides and proteins immobilized within gel pads, ranging in size from 10 x 10 to 100 x 100 microns, is described. The microchips are produced by photo- or persulfate-induced copolymerization of unsaturated derivatives of biomolecules with acrylamide-bisacrylamide mixture. Oligonucleotides containing 5'-allyl or 5'-butenediol units were synthesized using standard phosphoramidite chemistry. Acryloyl residues were attached to a protein by a two-step procedure. Photopolymerization was induced by illumination of the monomer solution containing initiator with UV light through the mask. The mask was applied directly over the monomer solution or projected through a microscope. Alternatively, copolymerization was carried out in drops of aqueous solution of monomers containing ammonium persulfate. Drops with different allyl-oligonucleotides were distributed on a glass slide, and the polymerization was induced by diffusion of N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) from a hexane solution that covered the aqueous drops.
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