Analysis of Single-Stranded Nucleic Acids in Nanochannels

Nanofluidics is a rapidly advancing technique for analyzing individual biomacromolecules without the need for chemical modification or immobilization on a surface. When combined with fluorescence microscopy, this approach enables detailed exploration of the structural and dynamic properties of single-stranded nucleic acids. This overview outlines the process for creating cost-effective lab-on-a-chip devices using polymer resins, which incorporate quasi-one-dimensional nanochannels with cross-sectional dimensions on the order of tens of nanometers. Additionally, we describe a method for fluorescently labeling specific gene sequences on single-stranded DNA. The technique is demonstrated through a case involving the localization of the transforming growth factor Beta receptor 1, TGFβR1 gene along with its associated miRNA binding site in the mouse genome.