Issue 7, 2018

Propidium monoazide pretreatment on a 3D-printed microfluidic device for efficient PCR determination of ‘live versus dead’ microbial cells

Abstract

Waterborne microbial pathogen detection via nucleic acid analysis on portable microfluidic devices is a growing area of research, development, and application. Traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based nucleic acid analysis detects total extracted DNA, but cannot differentiate live and dead cells. A propidium monoazide (PMA) pretreatment step before PCR can effectively exclude DNA from nonviable cells, as PMA can selectively diffuse through compromised cell membranes and intercalate with DNA to form DNA–PMA complex upon light exposure. The complex strongly inhibits the amplification of the bound DNA in PCR, and thus, only cells with intact cell membranes are detected. Herein, this study reports the development of a microfluidic device to carry out PMA pretreatment ‘on-chip’. Chip design was guided by computer simulations, and prototypes were fabricated using a high-resolution 3D printer. The optimized design utilizes split and recombine mixers for initial PMA-sample mixing and a serpentine flow channel containing herringbone structures for dark and light incubation. On-chip PMA pretreatment to differentiate live and dead bacterial cells in buffer and natural pond water samples was successfully demonstrated.

Graphical abstract: Propidium monoazide pretreatment on a 3D-printed microfluidic device for efficient PCR determination of ‘live versus dead’ microbial cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 1月 2018
Accepted
11 4月 2018
First published
11 6月 2018
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2018,4, 956-963

Propidium monoazide pretreatment on a 3D-printed microfluidic device for efficient PCR determination of ‘live versus dead’ microbial cells

Y. Zhu, X. Huang, X. Xie, J. Bahnemann, X. Lin, X. Wu, S. Wang and M. R. Hoffmann, Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2018, 4, 956 DOI: 10.1039/C8EW00058A

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