Immobilized enzyme-linked DNA-hybridization assay with electrochemical detection for Cryptosporidium parvum hsp70 mRNA

by Aguilar, Z. P.; Fritsch, I.

An electrochemical enzyme-linked immobilized DNA-hybridization assay for the detection of Cryptosporidium parvum in water has been developed. The target molecule was a 121-nucleotide sequence from the C. parvum heat shock protein 70 (hsp70 mRNA from U71181 gene). This analyte offers the possibility of distinguishing dead from live oocysts. The assay involves covalent attachment of a primary DNA probe via its 5'-amine-terminus to self-assembled monolayers of mercaptoundecanoic acid to a gold surface. The primary DNA probe was used to capture the target (sequence 1039-1082 of U71181 gene for the mRNA), by hybridization to a 20-base complementary sequence on the target (at sequence 1063-1082). A secondary DNA probe labeled with alkaline phosphatase (AP) was then hybridized to base sequence 1039-1062 on the target. p-Aminophenol, which is enzymatically generated by the immobilized AP from p-aminophenyl phosphate (PAPP), is detected using electrochemistry. The peak current of cyclic voltammograms from a PAPP solution, in which gold-coated silicon wafer modified with the complete assembly of the assay components was incubated, is linear with concentration of the target (5-50 mug/mL, where P-1 and P-2-AP concentrations are 50 mug/mL). A detection limit of 2 mug/mL (or 146 nM) of the DNA target was obtained. Cross-reactivity tests showed high selectivity for heat-shocked C. parvum. No signal was obtained for either the synthetic DNA for hsp70 of Campylobacter lari, Escherichia coli, Giardia lamblia, Salmonella typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes or for the products of heat-shocked whole organisms of E. coli G. lamblia, Staphylococcus aureus, and Cryptosporidium muris.

Journal
Analytical Chemistry
Volume
75
Issue
15
Year
2003
Start Page
3890-3897
URL
https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac026211z
ISBN/ISSN
1520-6882; 0003-2700
DOI
10.1021/ac026211z