Detection of Breast Cancer 1 (BRCA1) Gene Using an Electrochemical DNA Biosensor Based on Immobilized ZnO Nanowires

Nur Azimah Mansor, Zainiharyati Mohd Zain, Hairul Hisham Hamzah, Mohd Shihabuddin Ahmad Noorden, Siti Safura Jaapar, Valerio Beni, Zafar Husain Ibupoto

Biosensors and Bioelectronics Centre, Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, Link?ping University, Link?ping, Sweden.
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia.
Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia.
Physical Electronics and Nanotechnology Division, Department of Science and Technology (ITN), Campus Norrk?ping, Link?ping University, Norrk?ping, Sweden.

DOI: 10.4236/ojab.2014.32002                

Abstract

Herein we report an electrochemical DNA biosensor for the rapid detection of sequence (5’ AAT GGA TTT ATC TGC TCT TCG 3’) specific for the breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) gene. The proposed electrochemical genosensor is based on short oligonucleotide DNA probe immobilized onto zinc oxide nanowires (ZnONWs) chemically synthesized onto gold electrode via hydrothermal technique. The morphology studies of the ZnONWs, performed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), showed that the ZnO nanowires are uniform, highly dense and oriented perpendicularly to the substrate. Recognition event between the DNA probe and the target was investigated by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) in 0.1 M acetate buffer solution (ABS), pH 7.00; as a result of the hybridization, an oxidation signal was observed at +0.8 V. The influences of pH, target concentration, and non-complimentary DNA on biosensor performance were examined. The proposed DNA biosensor has the ability to detect the target sequence in the range of concentration between 10.0 and 100.0 μM with a detection limit of 3.32 μM. The experimental results demonstrated that the prepared ZnONWs/Au electrodes are suitable platform for the immobilization of DNA.

Keywords

Zinc Oxide Nanowires, DNA Biosensor, Breast Cancer Gene, BRCA1, DNA Hybridization, Differential Pulse Voltammetry

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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