DNA electrochemical sensor based on conducting polymer: dependence of the "signal-on" detection on the probe sequence...

We show in this work that it is possible to make selective direct electrochemical hybridization detection of a target strand onto a probe strand immobilized on a conducting polymer modified with a quinone group, which presents cation-exchange properties. This leads to a "signal-on"detection, a unique behavior in comparison to similar systems described in the literature. It is shown that this system is efficient for various probe and target lengths (10-30 bp) and can discriminate a single mismatch. To go further in comprehension of the detection mechanism, a systematic study of the electrochemical response versus the probe sequence localization onto the immobilized strand is performed. For example, a 30-bp target strand is divided into three shorter 10-bp sequences (A-C, respectively), and we investigate the successive hybridization of these 1/3 strands onto the 30-bp probe strand. It is shown that one probe strand can be used to address several shorter targets.