This article demonstrates a method for the fabrication of patterned surfaces using hairpin oligonucleotides carrying a novel photolabile group at the apex of the loop. Photolysis of surfaces carrying photolabile hairpin oligonucleotides results in the formation of areas carrying single-stranded DNA sequences that direct the deposition of the complementary sequence at the photolysed sites. The nonphotolysed areas carrying the intact hairpin do not bind to complementary sequences due to the presence of the more stable intramolecular hairpin duplex. The photolithographic process was performed on silicon wafers and followed by atomic force microscopy and epi-fluorescent microscopy. The method described offers an attractive option for the fabrication of biologically interfaced patterned surfaces with specific recognition properties with potential uses in electronics and as biosensors.
Peptides and oligodeoxynucleotides containing photolabile 2-nitrobenzyl groups as mid-sequences were prepared. Photocleavage of aqueous solutions of these compounds neared completion within 30 min to a few hours depending on the photolabile group used. A photolabile group was introduced in the loop of an intramolecular oligodeoxynucleotide hairpin. Melting curves of the hairpin with and without the complementary oligodeoxynucleotide showed a preference for the intramolecular hairpin form, but an intermolecular duplex was observed after photolysis. These results open the possibility of using photolabile DNA hairpins for the fabrication of patterned surfaces.
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