PLASMA TREATMENT FOR DNA BINDING
The invention provides a composition including DNA bonded to a plasma-treated surface, the plasma can be any suitable plasma, such as an argon plasma, a compressed air plasma, a flame-based plasma or a vacuum plasma. Surfaces treatable by the methods of the invention include ceramic, metal, fabric and organic polymer surfaces. The DNA can be any DNA, such as a marker DNA, which can be linear or circular, single-stranded or double stranded and from about 25 bases to about 10,000 bases in length. Also provided is a method of binding DNA to a surface, including the steps of exposing the surface to a plasma to produce a plasma-treated surface; and applying DNA to the plasma-treated surface to produce surface bound DNA on the treated surface. A system for binding DNA to a surface is also disclosed, the system includes a plasma generator adapted to treating a surface with a plasma to produce a plasma-treated surface; and an applicator containing DNA adapted to applying DNA to the plasma-treated surface to produce surface bound DNA on the plasma-treated surface.
1 . A composition comprising DNA bonded to a plasma-treated surface.
2 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the plasma treatment comprises treatment with a plasma selected from an argon plasma, a compressed air plasma, a flame-based plasma and a vacuum plasma.
3 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the surface is a surface of a ceramic, a semiconductor, a metal, a fabric or an organic polymer.
4 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the DNA consists essentially of from about 20 to about 10,000 bases.
5 . The composition of claim 4 , wherein the DNA consists essentially of from about 50 to about 5,000 bases.
6 . The composition of claim 5 , wherein the DNA consists essentially of from about 75 to about 500 bases.
7 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the DNA bonded to the plasma-treated surface is resilient to washing.
8 . A method of binding DNA to a surface, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
exposing the surface to a plasma to produce a plasma-treated surface; and
applying DNA to the plasma-treated surface to produce surface bound DNA on the treated surface.
9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
extracting a DNA sample from the plasma-treated surface and amplifying the extracted DNA sample to produce an amplified DNA sample;
wherein the amplified DNA sample is identified as the DNA applied to the plasma-treated surface.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the extracted DNA sample is amplified using PCR.
11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the amplified DNA sample is subjected to capillary electrophoresis.
12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the plasma-treated surface is cleaned of impurities and contaminants.
13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein plasma-treated surface comprises reactive functional groups created on the surface by the plasma treatment.
14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein a concentration of DNA applied to the treated surface is at least about one femtogram per liter (˜10 −15 g/L).
15 . A system for binding DNA to a surface, comprising:
a plasma generator adapted to treating a surface with a plasma to produce a plasma-treated surface; and
an applicator containing DNA adapted to applying DNA to the plasma-treated surface to produce surface bound DNA on the plasma-treated surface.
16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the plasma treatment comprises treatment with an argon plasma or a compressed air plasma.
17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the surface is a surface of a ceramic, a semiconductor, a metal, a fabric or an organic polymer.
18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the DNA consists essentially of from about 25 to about 10,000 bases.
19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the DNA consists essentially of from about 50 to about 5,000 bases.
20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the DNA consists essentially of from about 75 to about 500 bases.