1
|
Wang X, Liu Z, Wang B, Cai Y, Song Q. An overview on state-of-art of micromixer designs, characteristics and applications. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1279:341685. [PMID: 37827660 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Micromixers are characterized based on characteristics such as excellent mixing efficiency, low reagent cost and flexible controllability compared with conventional reactors in terms of macro size. A variety of designs and applications of micromixers have been proposed. The focus of current reviews is restricted to micromixer structures. Each type of micromixer has characteristics corresponding to its structure, which determines the suitable application areas. This paper provides an overview connecting micromixer designs and their applications. First, the typical designs and mixing mechanisms of both passive and active micromixers are summarized. Then, application cases of micromixers, including chemical, biological and medical applications, are presented. The characteristics, including the advantages and restrictions of different micromixers, are discussed. Finally, the future perspective of micromixer design is proposed. It is predictable that micromixers will have widespread applications by integrating two or more different mixing methods together. This review would be beneficial to guide the design of micromixers applied for specific purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China; Key Laboratory of High Efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture of MOE/Key National Demonstration Center for Experimental Mechanical Engineering Education, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China
| | - Zhanqiang Liu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China; Key Laboratory of High Efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture of MOE/Key National Demonstration Center for Experimental Mechanical Engineering Education, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China.
| | - Bing Wang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China; Key Laboratory of High Efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture of MOE/Key National Demonstration Center for Experimental Mechanical Engineering Education, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China
| | - Yukui Cai
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China; Key Laboratory of High Efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture of MOE/Key National Demonstration Center for Experimental Mechanical Engineering Education, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China
| | - Qinghua Song
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China; Key Laboratory of High Efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture of MOE/Key National Demonstration Center for Experimental Mechanical Engineering Education, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yin B, Yue W, Sohan ASMM, Zhou T, Qian C, Wan X. Micromixer with Fine-Tuned Mathematical Spiral Structures. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:30779-30789. [PMID: 34805706 PMCID: PMC8600618 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c05024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Micromixers with the microchannel structure can enable rapid and efficient mixing of multiple types of fluids on a microfluidic chip. Herein, we report the mixing performance of three passive micromixers based on the different mathematical spiral structures. We study the fluid flow characteristics of Archimedes spiral, Fermat spiral, and hyperbolic spiral structures with various channel widths and Reynolds number (Re) ranging from 0 to 10 via numerical simulation and visualization experiments. In addition, we analyze the mechanism of streamlines and Dean vortices at different cross sections during fluid flows. As the fluid flows in the Fermat spiral channel, the centrifugal force induces the Dean vortex to form a chaotic advection, enhancing the fluid mixing performance. By integrating the Fermat spiral channel into a microfluidic chip, we successfully detect acute myocardial infarction (AMI) marker with the double-antibody sandwich method and reduce the detection time to 10 min. This method has a low reagent consumption and a high reaction efficiency and demonstrates great potential in point-of-care testing (POCT).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Binfeng Yin
- School
of Mechanical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
| | - Wenkai Yue
- School
of Mechanical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
| | | | - Teng Zhou
- Mechanical
and Electrical Engineering College, Hainan
University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Changcheng Qian
- School
of Mechanical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
| | - Xinhua Wan
- School
of Mechanical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Obst F, Beck A, Bishayee C, Mehner PJ, Richter A, Voit B, Appelhans D. Hydrogel Microvalves as Control Elements for Parallelized Enzymatic Cascade Reactions in Microfluidics. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:E167. [PMID: 32033413 PMCID: PMC7074747 DOI: 10.3390/mi11020167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 01/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Compartmentalized microfluidic devices with immobilized catalysts are a valuable tool for overcoming the incompatibility challenge in (bio) catalytic cascade reactions and high-throughput screening of multiple reaction parameters. To achieve flow control in microfluidics, stimuli-responsive hydrogel microvalves were previously introduced. However, an application of this valve concept for the control of multistep reactions was not yet shown. To fill this gap, we show the integration of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAAm) microvalves (diameter: 500 and 600 µm) into PDMS-on-glass microfluidic devices for the control of parallelized enzyme-catalyzed cascade reactions. As a proof-of-principle, the biocatalysts glucose oxidase (GOx), horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and myoglobin (Myo) were immobilized in photopatterned hydrogel dot arrays (diameter of the dots: 350 µm, amount of enzymes: 0.13-2.3 µg) within three compartments of the device. Switching of the microvalves was achieved within 4 to 6 s and thereby the fluid pathway of the enzyme substrate solution (5 mmol/L) in the device was determined. Consequently, either the enzyme cascade reaction GOx-HRP or GOx-Myo was performed and continuously quantified by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The functionality of the microvalves was shown in four hourly switching cycles and visualized by the path-dependent substrate conversion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Obst
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (F.O.); (C.B.); (B.V.)
- Organische Chemie der Polymere, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Anthony Beck
- Institut für Halbleiter- und Mikrosystemtechnik, Technische Universität Dresden, 01187 Dresden, Germany; (A.B.); (P.J.M.); (A.R.)
| | - Chayan Bishayee
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (F.O.); (C.B.); (B.V.)
| | - Philipp J. Mehner
- Institut für Halbleiter- und Mikrosystemtechnik, Technische Universität Dresden, 01187 Dresden, Germany; (A.B.); (P.J.M.); (A.R.)
| | - Andreas Richter
- Institut für Halbleiter- und Mikrosystemtechnik, Technische Universität Dresden, 01187 Dresden, Germany; (A.B.); (P.J.M.); (A.R.)
| | - Brigitte Voit
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (F.O.); (C.B.); (B.V.)
- Organische Chemie der Polymere, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Dietmar Appelhans
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (F.O.); (C.B.); (B.V.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Fraas R, Hübner JF, Diehm J, Faas R, Hausmann R, Franzreb M. A Compartmented Microfluidic Reactor for Protein Modification Via Solid-phase Reactions — Semi-automated Examination of Two PEGylation Routes. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s12257-017-0322-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
|
5
|
Shevelev GY, Pyshnyi DV. Modern approaches to artificial gene synthesis: aspects of oligonucleotide synthesis, enzymatic assembly, sequence verification and error correction. Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genet Selektsii 2018. [DOI: 10.18699/vj18.387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
|
6
|
Khilko Y, Weyman PD, Glass JI, Adams MD, McNeil MA, Griffin PB. DNA assembly with error correction on a droplet digital microfluidics platform. BMC Biotechnol 2018; 18:37. [PMID: 29859085 PMCID: PMC5984785 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-018-0439-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Custom synthesized DNA is in high demand for synthetic biology applications. However, current technologies to produce these sequences using assembly from DNA oligonucleotides are costly and labor-intensive. The automation and reduced sample volumes afforded by microfluidic technologies could significantly decrease materials and labor costs associated with DNA synthesis. The purpose of this study was to develop a gene assembly protocol utilizing a digital microfluidic device. Toward this goal, we adapted bench-scale oligonucleotide assembly methods followed by enzymatic error correction to the Mondrian™ digital microfluidic platform. Results We optimized Gibson assembly, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and enzymatic error correction reactions in a single protocol to assemble 12 oligonucleotides into a 339-bp double- stranded DNA sequence encoding part of the human influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) gene. The reactions were scaled down to 0.6-1.2 μL. Initial microfluidic assembly methods were successful and had an error frequency of approximately 4 errors/kb with errors originating from the original oligonucleotide synthesis. Relative to conventional benchtop procedures, PCR optimization required additional amounts of MgCl2, Phusion polymerase, and PEG 8000 to achieve amplification of the assembly and error correction products. After one round of error correction, error frequency was reduced to an average of 1.8 errors kb− 1. Conclusion We demonstrated that DNA assembly from oligonucleotides and error correction could be completely automated on a digital microfluidic (DMF) platform. The results demonstrate that enzymatic reactions in droplets show a strong dependence on surface interactions, and successful on-chip implementation required supplementation with surfactants, molecular crowding agents, and an excess of enzyme. Enzymatic error correction of assembled fragments improved sequence fidelity by 2-fold, which was a significant improvement but somewhat lower than expected compared to bench-top assays, suggesting an additional capacity for optimization. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12896-018-0439-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya Khilko
- Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, 3165 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.,Department of Biomedical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, San Jose State University, 1 Washington Sq, San Jose, CA, 95192, USA
| | - Philip D Weyman
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 4120 Capricorn Lane, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - John I Glass
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 4120 Capricorn Lane, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Mark D Adams
- J. Craig Venter Institute, 4120 Capricorn Lane, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Melanie A McNeil
- Department of Biomedical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, San Jose State University, 1 Washington Sq, San Jose, CA, 95192, USA
| | - Peter B Griffin
- Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, 3165 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zhuang B. Introduction. DEVELOPMENT OF A FULLY INTEGRATED “SAMPLE-IN-ANSWER-OUT” SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATIC GENETIC ANALYSIS 2018:1-30. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-4753-4_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
|
8
|
Phurimsak C, Tarn MD, Pamme N. Magnetic Particle Plug-Based Assays for Biomarker Analysis. MICROMACHINES 2016; 7:E77. [PMID: 30404252 PMCID: PMC6190463 DOI: 10.3390/mi7050077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Conventional immunoassays offer selective and quantitative detection of a number of biomarkers, but are laborious and time-consuming. Magnetic particle-based assays allow easy and rapid selection of analytes, but still suffer from the requirement of tedious multiple reaction and washing steps. Here, we demonstrate the trapping of functionalised magnetic particles within a microchannel for performing rapid immunoassays by flushing consecutive reagent and washing solutions over the trapped particle plug. Three main studies were performed to investigate the potential of the platform for quantitative analysis of biomarkers: (i) a streptavidin-biotin binding assay; (ii) a sandwich assay of the inflammation biomarker, C-reactive protein (CRP); and (iii) detection of the steroid hormone, progesterone (P4), towards a competitive assay. Quantitative analysis with low limits of detection was demonstrated with streptavidin-biotin, while the CRP and P4 assays exhibited the ability to detect clinically relevant analytes, and all assays were completed in only 15 min. These preliminary results show the great potential of the platform for performing rapid, low volume magnetic particle plug-based assays of a range of clinical biomarkers via an exceedingly simple technique.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chayakom Phurimsak
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.
| | - Mark D Tarn
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.
| | - Nicole Pamme
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Patrick WG, Nielsen AAK, Keating SJ, Levy TJ, Wang CW, Rivera JJ, Mondragón-Palomino O, Carr PA, Voigt CA, Oxman N, Kong DS. DNA Assembly in 3D Printed Fluidics. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143636. [PMID: 26716448 PMCID: PMC4699221 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The process of connecting genetic parts-DNA assembly-is a foundational technology for synthetic biology. Microfluidics present an attractive solution for minimizing use of costly reagents, enabling multiplexed reactions, and automating protocols by integrating multiple protocol steps. However, microfluidics fabrication and operation can be expensive and requires expertise, limiting access to the technology. With advances in commodity digital fabrication tools, it is now possible to directly print fluidic devices and supporting hardware. 3D printed micro- and millifluidic devices are inexpensive, easy to make and quick to produce. We demonstrate Golden Gate DNA assembly in 3D-printed fluidics with reaction volumes as small as 490 nL, channel widths as fine as 220 microns, and per unit part costs ranging from $0.61 to $5.71. A 3D-printed syringe pump with an accompanying programmable software interface was designed and fabricated to operate the devices. Quick turnaround and inexpensive materials allowed for rapid exploration of device parameters, demonstrating a manufacturing paradigm for designing and fabricating hardware for synthetic biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William G. Patrick
- MIT Media Lab, School of Architecture and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Alec A. K. Nielsen
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Steven J. Keating
- MIT Media Lab, School of Architecture and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Taylor J. Levy
- MIT Media Lab, School of Architecture and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Che-Wei Wang
- MIT Media Lab, School of Architecture and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Jaime J. Rivera
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Octavio Mondragón-Palomino
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Peter A. Carr
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, United States of America
| | - Christopher A. Voigt
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Neri Oxman
- MIT Media Lab, School of Architecture and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - David S. Kong
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Ben Yehezkel T, Rival A, Raz O, Cohen R, Marx Z, Camara M, Dubern JF, Koch B, Heeb S, Krasnogor N, Delattre C, Shapiro E. Synthesis and cell-free cloning of DNA libraries using programmable microfluidics. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 44:e35. [PMID: 26481354 PMCID: PMC4770201 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Microfluidics may revolutionize our ability to write synthetic DNA by addressing several fundamental limitations associated with generating novel genetic constructs. Here we report the first de novo synthesis and cell-free cloning of custom DNA libraries in sub-microliter reaction droplets using programmable digital microfluidics. Specifically, we developed Programmable Order Polymerization (POP), Microfluidic Combinatorial Assembly of DNA (M-CAD) and Microfluidic In-vitro Cloning (MIC) and applied them to de novo synthesis, combinatorial assembly and cell-free cloning of genes, respectively. Proof-of-concept for these methods was demonstrated by programming an autonomous microfluidic system to construct and clone libraries of yeast ribosome binding sites and bacterial Azurine, which were then retrieved in individual droplets and validated. The ability to rapidly and robustly generate designer DNA molecules in an autonomous manner should have wide application in biological research and development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tuval Ben Yehezkel
- Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and Biological Chemistry, Weizmann institute of science, Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - Ofir Raz
- Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and Biological Chemistry, Weizmann institute of science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Rafael Cohen
- Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and Biological Chemistry, Weizmann institute of science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Zipora Marx
- Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and Biological Chemistry, Weizmann institute of science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Miguel Camara
- Centre for Bio-molecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Birgit Koch
- School of Computing Science, Claremont Tower, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Stephan Heeb
- Centre for Bio-molecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Natalio Krasnogor
- School of Computing Science, Claremont Tower, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | | | - Ehud Shapiro
- Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and Biological Chemistry, Weizmann institute of science, Rehovot, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Shih SCC, Goyal G, Kim PW, Koutsoubelis N, Keasling JD, Adams PD, Hillson NJ, Singh AK. A Versatile Microfluidic Device for Automating Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2015; 4:1151-64. [PMID: 26075958 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5b00062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
New microbes are being engineered that contain the genetic circuitry, metabolic pathways, and other cellular functions required for a wide range of applications such as producing biofuels, biobased chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Although currently available tools are useful in improving the synthetic biology process, further improvements in physical automation would help to lower the barrier of entry into this field. We present an innovative microfluidic platform for assembling DNA fragments with 10× lower volumes (compared to that of current microfluidic platforms) and with integrated region-specific temperature control and on-chip transformation. Integration of these steps minimizes the loss of reagents and products compared to that with conventional methods, which require multiple pipetting steps. For assembling DNA fragments, we implemented three commonly used DNA assembly protocols on our microfluidic device: Golden Gate assembly, Gibson assembly, and yeast assembly (i.e., TAR cloning, DNA Assembler). We demonstrate the utility of these methods by assembling two combinatorial libraries of 16 plasmids each. Each DNA plasmid is transformed into Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae using on-chip electroporation and further sequenced to verify the assembly. We anticipate that this platform will enable new research that can integrate this automated microfluidic platform to generate large combinatorial libraries of plasmids and will help to expedite the overall synthetic biology process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steve C. C. Shih
- Sandia National Laboratories, 7011 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Garima Goyal
- Physical
Bioscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron
Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Peter W. Kim
- Sandia National Laboratories, 7011 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Nicolas Koutsoubelis
- Physical
Bioscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron
Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Jay D. Keasling
- Physical
Bioscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron
Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Paul D. Adams
- Physical
Bioscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron
Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Nathan J. Hillson
- Physical
Bioscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron
Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Anup K. Singh
- Sandia National Laboratories, 7011 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Park SH, Park JH, Lee HJ, Lee NK. Current Status of Biomedical Applications using 3D Printing Technology. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.7736/kspe.2014.31.12.1067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
|
13
|
Huang H, Densmore D. Integration of microfluidics into the synthetic biology design flow. LAB ON A CHIP 2014; 14:3459-74. [PMID: 25012162 DOI: 10.1039/c4lc00509k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
One goal of synthetic biology is to design and build genetic circuits in living cells for a range of applications. Major challenges in these efforts include increasing the scalability and robustness of engineered biological systems and streamlining and automating the synthetic biology workflow of specification-design-assembly-verification. We present here a summary of the advances in microfluidic technology, particularly microfluidic large scale integration, that can be used to address the challenges facing each step of the synthetic biology workflow. Microfluidic technologies allow precise control over the flow of biological content within microscale devices, and thus may provide more reliable and scalable construction of synthetic biological systems. The integration of microfluidics and synthetic biology has the capability to produce rapid prototyping platforms for characterization of genetic devices, testing of biotherapeutics, and development of biosensors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haiyao Huang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
King PH, Jones G, Morgan H, de Planque MRR, Zauner KP. Interdroplet bilayer arrays in millifluidic droplet traps from 3D-printed moulds. LAB ON A CHIP 2014; 14:722-9. [PMID: 24336841 DOI: 10.1039/c3lc51072g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
In droplet microfluidics, aqueous droplets are typically separated by an oil phase to ensure containment of molecules in individual droplets of nano-to-picoliter volume. An interesting variation of this method involves bringing two phospholipid-coated droplets into contact to form a lipid bilayer in-between the droplets. These interdroplet bilayers, created by manual pipetting of microliter droplets, have proved advantageous for the study of membrane transport phenomena, including ion channel electrophysiology. In this study, we adapted the droplet microfluidics methodology to achieve automated formation of interdroplet lipid bilayer arrays. We developed a 'millifluidic' chip for microliter droplet generation and droplet packing, which is cast from a 3D-printed mould. Droplets of 0.7-6.0 μL volume were packed as homogeneous or heterogeneous linear arrays of 2-9 droplets that were stable for at least six hours. The interdroplet bilayers had an area of up to 0.56 mm(2), or an equivalent diameter of up to 850 μm, as determined from capacitance measurements. We observed osmotic water transfer over the bilayers as well as sequential bilayer lysis by the pore-forming toxin melittin. These millifluidic interdroplet bilayer arrays combine the ease of electrical and optical access of manually pipetted microdroplets with the automation and reproducibility of microfluidic technologies. Moreover, the 3D-printing based fabrication strategy enables the rapid implementation of alternative channel geometries, e.g. branched arrays, with a design-to-device time of just 24-48 hours.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip H King
- Electronics and Computer Science & Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Abramova T. Frontiers and approaches to chemical synthesis of oligodeoxyribonucleotides. Molecules 2013; 18:1063-75. [PMID: 23322070 PMCID: PMC6269945 DOI: 10.3390/molecules18011063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2012] [Revised: 01/09/2013] [Accepted: 01/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The advantages and disadvantages of existing approaches to the synthesis of oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODN) are discussed focusing on large-scale methods. The liquid phase and solid supported synthesis and the synthesis on soluble polymers are discussed. Different problems concerning the methods and implementation of the ODN synthesis are outlined depending on goals of using target oligomers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana Abramova
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Lavrent'ev Ave, 8, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Tarn MD, Peyman SA, Pamme N. Simultaneous trapping of magnetic and diamagnetic particle plugs for separations and bioassays. RSC Adv 2013. [DOI: 10.1039/c3ra40237a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
|
17
|
|
18
|
King PH, Corsi JC, Pan BH, Morgan H, de Planque MRR, Zauner KP. Towards molecular computing: Co-development of microfluidic devices and chemical reaction media. Biosystems 2012; 109:18-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2012.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2011] [Accepted: 01/04/2012] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Philip H King
- Electronics and Computer Science & Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
In the fast lane: Large-scale bacterial genome engineering. J Biotechnol 2012; 160:72-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2012.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2011] [Revised: 02/16/2012] [Accepted: 02/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|
20
|
Huang MC, Cheong WC, Lim LS, Li MH. A simple, high sensitivity mutation screening using Ampligase mediated T7 endonuclease I and Surveyor nuclease with microfluidic capillary electrophoresis. Electrophoresis 2012; 33:788-96. [PMID: 22437793 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201100460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2011] [Revised: 10/31/2011] [Accepted: 11/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Mutation and polymorphism detection is of increasing importance for a variety of medical applications, including identification of cancer biomarkers and genotyping for inherited genetic disorders. Among various mutation-screening technologies, enzyme mismatch cleavage (EMC) represents a great potential as an ideal scanning method for its simplicity and high efficiency, where the heteroduplex DNAs are recognized and cleaved into DNA fragments by mismatch-recognizing nucleases. Thereby, the enzymatic cleavage activities of the resolving nucleases play a critical role for the EMC sensitivity. In this study, we utilized the unique features of microfluidic capillary electrophoresis and de novo gene synthesis to explore the enzymatic properties of T7 endonuclease I and Surveyor nuclease for EMC. Homoduplex and HE DNAs with specific mismatches at desired positions were synthesized using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) gene synthesis. The effects of nonspecific cleavage, preference of mismatches, exonuclease activity, incubation time, and DNA loading capability were systematically examined. In addition, the utilization of a thermostable DNA ligase for real-time ligase mediation was investigated. Analysis of the experimental results has led to new insights into the enzymatic cleavage activities of T7 endonuclease I and Surveyor nuclease, and aided in optimizing EMC conditions, which enhance the sensitivity and efficiency in screening of unknown DNA variations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mo Chao Huang
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The Nanos, Singapore
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Saaem I, Ma S, Quan J, Tian J. Error correction of microchip synthesized genes using Surveyor nuclease. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 40:e23. [PMID: 22127863 PMCID: PMC3273826 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of economical and high-throughput gene synthesis technology has been hampered by the high occurrence of errors in the synthesized products, which requires expensive labor and time to correct. Here, we describe an error correction reaction (ECR), which employs Surveyor, a mismatch-specific DNA endonuclease, to remove errors from synthetic genes. In ECR reactions, errors are revealed as mismatches by re-annealing of the synthetic gene products. Mismatches are recognized and excised by a combination of mismatch-specific endonuclease and 3'→5' exonuclease activities in the reaction mixture. Finally, overlap extension polymerase chain reaction (OE-PCR) re-assembles the resulting fragments into intact genes. The process can be iterated for increased fidelity. With two iterations, we were able to reduce errors in synthetic genes by >16-fold, yielding a final error rate of ∼1 in 8700 bp.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ishtiaq Saaem
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC27708, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Abstract
The most recent developments in the area of deep DNA sequencing and downstream quantitative and functional analysis are rapidly adding a new dimension to understanding biochemical pathways and metabolic interdependencies. These increasing insights pave the way to designing new strategies that address public needs, including environmental applications and therapeutic inventions, or novel cell factories for sustainable and reconcilable energy or chemicals sources. Adding yet another level is building upon nonnaturally occurring networks and pathways. Recent developments in synthetic biology have created economic and reliable options for designing and synthesizing genes, operons, and eventually complete genomes. Meanwhile, high-throughput design and synthesis of extremely comprehensive DNA sequences have evolved into an enabling technology already indispensable in various life science sectors today. Here, we describe the industrial perspective of modern gene synthesis and its relationship with synthetic biology. Gene synthesis contributed significantly to the emergence of synthetic biology by not only providing the genetic material in high quality and quantity but also enabling its assembly, according to engineering design principles, in a standardized format. Synthetic biology on the other hand, added the need for assembling complex circuits and large complexes, thus fostering the development of appropriate methods and expanding the scope of applications. Synthetic biology has also stimulated interdisciplinary collaboration as well as integration of the broader public by addressing socioeconomic, philosophical, ethical, political, and legal opportunities and concerns. The demand-driven technological achievements of gene synthesis and the implemented processes are exemplified by an industrial setting of large-scale gene synthesis, describing production from order to delivery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frank Notka
- Life Technologies Inc./GeneArt AG, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Wang T, Oehrlein S, Somoza MM, Perez JRS, Kershner R, Cerrina F. Optical tweezers directed one-bead one-sequence synthesis of oligonucleotides. LAB ON A CHIP 2011; 11:1629-1637. [PMID: 21445444 DOI: 10.1039/c0lc00577k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
An optical tweezers directed parallel DNA oligonucleotide synthesis methodology is described in which controlled pore glass (CPG) beads act as solid substrates in a two-stream microfluidic reactor. The reactor contains two parallel sets of physical confinement features that retain beads in the reagent stream for synthetic reaction but allow the beads to be optically trapped and transferred between the reagent and the inert streams for sequence programming. As a demonstration, we synthesized oligonucleotides of target sequence 25-nt, one deletion and one substitution using dimethoxytrityl (DMT) nucleoside phosphoramidite chemistry. In detecting single-nucleotide mismatches, fluorescence in situ hybridization of the bead-conjugated probes showed high specificity and signal-to-noise ratios. These preliminary results suggest further possibilities of creating a novel type of versatile, sensitive and multifunctional reconfigurable one-bead one-compound (OBOC) bead array.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wang
- Center for Nano Science and Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Kim H, Han H, Shin D, Bang D. A fluorescence selection method for accurate large-gene synthesis. Chembiochem 2011; 11:2448-52. [PMID: 20981747 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201000368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The fundamental problem for low-cost gene synthesis is errors that occur during the synthetic process. To address this problem, we developed a practical method that exploits the fact that the predominant errors are deletions. In this method, a simple fluorescence-based readout was used to distinguish error-free synthetic DNA molecules. To do this, we constructed vectors that contained multiple cloning sites and GFP. In the vectors, the GFP gene is designed to be out-of-frame, but insertion of an in-framed synthetic DNA construct into the appropriate cloning site will lead to fluorescent cell colonies. We successfully used this method to synthesize five genes and improved the bp per error from 629 to 6552 by selecting green fluorescent colonies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hwangbeom Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Shinchon, 134, Seoul 120-749, Korea
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Parallel on-chip gene synthesis and application to optimization of protein expression. Nat Biotechnol 2011; 29:449-52. [PMID: 21516083 DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2011] [Accepted: 03/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Low-cost, high-throughput gene synthesis and precise control of protein expression are of critical importance to synthetic biology and biotechnology. Here we describe the development of an on-chip gene synthesis technology, which integrates on a single microchip the synthesis of DNA oligonucleotides using inkjet printing, isothermal oligonucleotide amplification and parallel gene assembly. Use of a mismatch-specific endonuclease for error correction results in an error rate of ~0.19 errors per kb. We applied this approach to synthesize pools of thousands of codon-usage variants of lacZα and 74 challenging Drosophila protein antigens, which were then screened for expression in Escherichia coli. In one round of synthesis and screening, we obtained DNA sequences that were expressed at a wide range of levels, from zero to almost 60% of the total cell protein mass. This technology may facilitate systematic investigation of the molecular mechanisms of protein translation and the design, construction and evolution of macromolecular machines, metabolic networks and synthetic cells.
Collapse
|
26
|
Wang W, Huang Y, Liu J, Xie Y, Zhao R, Xiong S, Liu G, Chen Y, Ma H. Integrated SPPS on continuous-flow radial microfluidic chip. LAB ON A CHIP 2011; 11:929-935. [PMID: 21270975 DOI: 10.1039/c0lc00542h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
A novel integrated continuous-flow microfluidic system was designed and fabricated for solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) using conventional reactants. The microfluidic system was composed of a glass-based radial reaction chip, a diffluent chip, amino acid feeding reservoirs and continuous-flow reagent pathways. A tri-row cofferdam-fence structure was designed for solid phase supports trapping. Highly cross-linked, porous and high-loading 4-(hydroxymethyl)phenoxymethyl polystyrene (HMP) beads were prepared for microfluidic SPPS. The transfer losses, hazardous handling and time-consuming processes in traditional peptide cleavage steps were avoided by being replaced with the on-chip cleavage treatment. Six peptides from an antibody affinity peptide library against β-endorphin with different lengths and sequences were obtained simultaneously on the constructed continuous-flow microfluidic system within a short time. This microfluidic system is automatic, integrated, effective, low-cost, recyclable and environment-friendly for not only SPPS but also other solid phase chemical syntheses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weizhi Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongguancun North First Street 2, 100190 Beijing, PR China
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Szita N, Polizzi K, Jaccard N, Baganz F. Microfluidic approaches for systems and synthetic biology. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2010; 21:517-23. [PMID: 20829028 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2010.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2010] [Revised: 08/03/2010] [Accepted: 08/03/2010] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic systems miniaturise biological experimentation leading to reduced sample volume, analysis time and cost. Recent innovations have allowed the application of -omics approaches on the microfluidic scale. It is now possible to perform 1.5 million PCR reactions simultaneously, obtain transcriptomic data from as little as 150 cells (as few as 2 transcripts per gene of interest) and perform mass-spectrometric analyses online. For synthetic biology, unit operations have been developed that allow de novo construction of synthetic systems from oligonucleotide synthesis through to high-throughput, high efficiency electroporation of single cells or encapsulation into abiotic chassis enabling the processing of thousands of synthetic organisms per hour. Future directions include a push towards integrating more processes into a single device and replacing off-chip analyses where possible.
Collapse
|
28
|
Cheong WC, Lim LS, Huang MC, Bode M, Li MH. New insights into the de novo gene synthesis using the automatic kinetics switch approach. Anal Biochem 2010; 406:51-60. [PMID: 20599643 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2010.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2010] [Revised: 06/18/2010] [Accepted: 06/23/2010] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Here we present a simple, highly efficient, universal automatic kinetics switch (AKS) gene synthesis method that enables synthesis of DNA up to 1.6kbp from 1nM oligonucleotide with just one polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process. This method eliminates the interference between the PCR assembly and amplification in one-step gene synthesis and simultaneously maximizes the amplification of emerged desired DNA by using a pair of flanked primers. In addition, we describe an analytical model of PCR gene synthesis based on the thermodynamics and kinetics of DNA hybridization. The kinetics difference between standard PCR amplification and one-step PCR gene synthesis is analyzed using this model and is validated using real-time gene synthesis with eight gene segments (318-1656bp). The effects of oligonucleotide concentration, stringency of annealing temperature, annealing time, extension time, and PCR buffer conditions are examined systematically. Analysis of the experimental results leads to new insights into the gene synthesis process and aids in optimizing gene synthesis conditions. We further extend this method for multiplexing gene assembly with a total DNA length up to 5.74kbp from 1nM oligonucleotide.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wai Chye Cheong
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The Nanos, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Zhang C, Xing D. Single-Molecule DNA Amplification and Analysis Using Microfluidics. Chem Rev 2010; 110:4910-47. [DOI: 10.1021/cr900081z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Chunsun Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Da Xing
- MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Abstract
De novo gene and genome synthesis enables the design of any sequence without the requirement of a pre-existing template as in traditional genetic engineering methods. The ability to mass produce synthetic genes holds great potential for biological research, but widespread availability of de novo DNA constructs is currently hampered by their high cost. In this work, we describe a microfluidic platform for parallel solid phase synthesis of oligonucleotides that can greatly reduce the cost of gene synthesis by reducing reagent consumption (by 100-fold) while maintaining a ∼100 pmol synthesis scale so there is no need for amplification before assembly. Sixteen oligonucleotides were synthesized in parallel on this platform and then successfully used in a ligation-mediated assembly method to generate DNA constructs ∼200 bp in length.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Chung Lee
- Department of Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Bode M, Khor S, Ye H, Li MH, Ying JY. TmPrime: fast, flexible oligonucleotide design software for gene synthesis. Nucleic Acids Res 2009; 37:W214-21. [PMID: 19515937 PMCID: PMC2703938 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkp461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Herein we present TmPrime, a computer program to design oligonucleotide sets for gene assembly by both ligase chain reaction (LCR) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). TmPrime offers much flexibility with no constraints on the gene and oligonucleotide lengths. The program divides the long input DNA sequence based on the input desired melting temperature, and dynamically optimizes the length of oligonucleotides to achieve homologous melting temperatures. The output reports the melting temperatures, oligonucleotide sequences and potential formation of secondary structures. Our program also provides functions on sequence pooling to separate long genes into smaller pieces for multi-pool assembly and codon optimization for expression. The software has been successfully used in the design and synthesis of green fluorescent protein fragment (GFPuv) (760 bp), human protein kinase B-2 (PKB2) (1446 bp) and the promoter of human calcium-binding protein A4 (S100A4) (752 bp) using real-time PCR assembly with LCGreen I, which offers a novel approach to compare the efficiency of gene synthesis. The purity of assembled products is successfully estimated with the use of melting curve analysis, which would potentially eliminate the necessity for agarose gel electrophoresis. This program is freely available at http://prime.ibn.a-star.edu.sg.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Bode
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The Nanos, 138669, Singapore
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Ye H, Huang MC, Li MH, Ying JY. Experimental analysis of gene assembly with TopDown one-step real-time gene synthesis. Nucleic Acids Res 2009; 37:e51. [PMID: 19264797 PMCID: PMC2673447 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkp118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Herein we present a simple, cost-effective TopDown (TD) gene synthesis method that eliminates the interference between the polymerase chain reactions (PCR) assembly and amplification in one-step gene synthesis. The method involves two key steps: (i) design of outer primers and assembly oligonucleotide set with a melting temperature difference of >10°C and (ii) utilization of annealing temperatures to selectively control the efficiencies of oligonucleotide assembly and full-length template amplification. In addition, we have combined the proposed method with real-time PCR to analyze the step-wise efficiency and the kinetics of the gene synthesis process. Gel electrophoresis results are compared with real-time fluorescence signals to investigate the effects of oligonucleotide concentration, outer primer concentration, stringency of annealing temperature, and number of PCR cycles. Analysis of the experimental results has led to insights into the gene synthesis process. We further discuss the conditions for preventing the formation of spurious DNA products. The TD real-time gene synthesis method provides a simple and efficient method for assembling fairly long DNA sequence, and aids in optimizing gene synthesis conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first report that utilizes real-time PCR for gene synthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongye Ye
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The Nanos, Singapore
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|