Label-free and reagentless electrochemical detection of PCR fragments using self-assembled quinone derivative monolayer: Application to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

We report a signal-on, label-free and reagentless electrochemical DNA biosensor, based on a mixed self-assembled monolayer of thiolated hydroxynaphthoquinone and thiolated oligonucleotide. Electrochemical changes resulting from hybridization were evidenced with oligonucleotide targets (as models), as well as with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products related to different lineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. With pure oligonucleotides, this system achieves high sensitivity (∼300 pM of DNA target, i.e. 30 fmol in a 100 μL sample) and excellent selectivity, allowing to detect a single mismatch on a sequence of 20 bases. With PCR products, current changes are specific to the bacterial strain from which the PCR fragment is produced. In addition, the sensor response is of the signal-on type, giving a positive signal change upon hybridization, and therefore does not suffer from false positive responses due to non-specific adsorption of DNA.

► Signal-on, label-free and reagentless electrochemical DNA biosensor.
► Self-assembled monolayer of thiolated hydroxynaphthoquinone and oligonucleotide.
► PCR products related to different lineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains.
► High sensitivity (∼300 pM of DNA target) detection.
► Discriminates a single mismatch on a sequence of 20 bases.