Microwave-accelerated metal-enhanced fluorescence: an ultra-fast and sensitive DNA sensing platform

Abstract

In this paper, we investigated the effects of low-power microwave heating on the components of the recently described new approach to surface DNA hybridization assays, based on the Microwave-Accelerated Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MAMEF) platform technology. Thiolated oligonucleotides have been linked to surface-bound silver nanostructures which partially coat a glass slide. The addition of a complementary fluorescein-labeled oligonucleotide results in metal-enhanced fluorescein emission as the probe is brought into close proximity to the silver upon hybridization. In addition, the combined use with low-power microwave heating, which is thought to locally heat around the silvered surface, affords for both the assay kinetics and optical amplification to also be localized to the surface. In our model DNA target assay reported here, we can detect 23-mer targets in less than 20 s, up to a 600-fold decrease in the assay run time as compared to control samples hybridized to completion at room temperature. Importantly, the use of MAMEF also reduces the extent of unwanted non-specific DNA absorption, further increasing specific DNA target detection limits. It was also found that low-power microwave heating did not denature DNA and the bulk temperature increase near to silver nanoparticles was only ca. 1 °C.