RUI: Molecular Simulation of DNA Interactions in Oligonucleotide Microarrays

University Of New England, Biddeford ME

Investigators

Abstract

The hybridization and denaturation transitions between single- and doubled-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) will be studied for short oligomers, between 10 and 25 bases, both in solution and with one strand bound to a surface to determine how surface immobilization affects this equilibrium and the interactions between strands. The aspects of this project explore the differences between surface- and solution-based transitions for systems that are most pertinent to DNA microarray technology. These aspects include surface density of DNA molecules, length of the molecule and complementarity of the sequence. Nontechnical This proposal will help better determine the rules governing formation of double stranded DNA complexes. Formation of such doubled stranded DNA complexes is used in genomics to understand levels of gene expression and also in medical diagnostics and food safety analyses.