The Electronic Influence of Abasic Sites in DNA

Abasic sites in DNA are prevalent as both naturally forming defects and as synthetic inclusions for biosensing applications. The electronic impact of these defects in DNA sensor and device configurations has yet to be clarified. Here we report the effect of an abasic site on the rate and yield of charge transport through temperature-controlled analysis of DNA duplex monolayers on multiplexed devices. Transport yield through the abasic site monolayer strongly increases with temperature, but the yield relative to an undamaged monolayer decreases with temperature. This is opposite to the increasing relative yield with temperature from a mismatched base pair, and these effects are accounted for by the unique structural impact of each defect. Notably, the effect of the abasic site is nearly doubled when heated from room temperature to 37 °C. The rate of transport is largely unaffected by the abasic site, showing Arrhenius-type behavior with an activation energy of ∼300 meV. Detailed abasic site investigation elucidates the electrical impact of these biologically spontaneous defects and aids development of biological sensors.