Immobilisation of DNA using the fluorous effect

Flynn, Gabriella (2018) Immobilisation of DNA using the fluorous effect. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Reversible biomolecule attachment onto solid supports is of importance to many distinct research fields ranging from microarray development to the synthesis of metamaterials. One method used to immobilised biomolecules in a reversible fashion relies on non-covalent fluorous-fluorous interactions.

The primary focus of this thesis was to investigate the immobilisation characteristics of DNA, tagged with a range of perfluorinated carbon chains, onto fluorinated solid supports. This work showed that the fluorous effect could be used to immobilise single stranded DNA onto patterned arrays permitting hybridisation to its complementary sequence. This duplex could then be removed via the fluorous tag, completely regenerating the surface and allowing for the immobilisation procedure to be repeated.

This was then built upon by varying the fluorine content of the fluorinated carbon chain, allowing for comparison to be made between the fluorine content of the tag and the stringency of the washes required to remove the duplex from the surface. It was further noted that the effect of the linker group had a significant impact on the immobilisation densities of the DNA strands, with longer linkers showing higher hybridisation densities.

Finally, DNA strands modified with fluorinated carbon chains were incorporated into DNA nanostructures. It was found that the inclusion of fluorous tags had a profound effect on the facial immobilisation orientation of the DNA nanostructures onto mica. It was found that the inclusion of one per fluorinated tag influenced the face on which the nanostructures were immobilised, with around 80 % of the structures immobilising on the face opposite to that modified with a fluorous tag. Therefore, it is thought that this work has potential application in reusable microarray development and as a means to control the deposition of nanostructures onto solids supports to aid in bottom-up self-assembly.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: R Medicine > R Medicine (General); T Technology > T Technology (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
• Funder's Name: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
• Supervisor's Name: Clark, Dr. Alasdair and Cooper, Professor Jonathan
• Date of Award: 2018
• Depositing User: Miss Gabriella Flynn
• Unique ID: glathesis:2018-30866
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 06 Nov 2018 12:46
• Last Modified: 04 Jan 2019 08:52
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/30866

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