Formation of amine groups by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and its application to DNA array technology

A plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method using plasma polymerized ethylenediamine (PPEDA) was employed to coat glass slides with amine functional groups. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeling indicated that the density of amine functional groups on these coated slides was affected by PECVD conditions, particularly deposition time. The PPEDA-coated slides were used for the development of DNA arrays. 5′-Amino-modified oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs) and cDNA strands were immobilized onto PPEDA-coated slides and used for hybridization to labeled target strands. In addition, patterning of amine groups, which is a very useful technique for preparing high-density DNA arrays, was achieved by selectively depositing PPEDA films on specific areas of a glass surface. These results demonstrate that the formation of amine groups on glass slides by PECVD is an excellent tool for DNA array technology.