"Redox Reactions of Nucleobases: A Platform for High-Throughput Expression
Analysis"

H. Holden Thorpe, Professor of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290 and Co-Founder and
Director, Xanthon, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

New technologies for the rapid detection of nucleic acids provides a
platform for a number of biochemical assays, including gene expression
analysis and SNP detection. The redox activity of the guanine base is an
attractive target for DNA analysis, because large targets contain many
guanines that provide an intrinsic amplification of the redox signal with
no labeling of the target. However, direct electrochemistry of guanine
provides poor signals due to slow electron transfer. Use of small molecule
catalysts increases the electron transfer rate and produces viable signals
for nucleic acids on metal oxide electrodes. This concept has been adapted
to a gene expression assay that has been formatted in multiplexed
microtiter plates for use in lead optimization. This assay can be applied to native
nucleic acid targets with no labeling.