In Situ Synthesis and Copolymerization of Oligonucleotides on Conducting Polymers

 Two strategies of DNA biochip construction on conducting polymers are investigated. The first involves a direct electro-copolymerization of pyrrole–oligonucleotides (oligonucleotides tethered to a pyrrole group) with the pyrrole leading to a polypyrrole film bearing the oligonucleotides. Successive copolymerizations allow the transformation of a microelectrode array into a DNA array. The second methodology involves a direct in situ synthesis of oligonucleotides on a conducting polymer used as an organic electrode. In this way a 5′ electrolabile protecting group, p-nitrobenzoyl, was used. In order to construct short oligonucleotide sequences, the other protecting groups of the bases have also to be modified. Preliminary results based on this technology are shown. Received July 28, 1998. Revision October 19, 1998.