Gene detection method and gene detection apparatus

Abstract

It is intended to provide a gene detection method whereby a gene having a specific sequence in a specimen can be detected at a high sensitivity and an apparatus therefor. Namely, a method comprising: the gene sample preparation step wherein a gene having a specific sequence to be detected in a specimen is denatured into a single-stranded gene to give a gene sample; the immobilization step wherein a single-stranded nucleic acid probe having a base sequence complementary to the gene sample sequence is immobilized on an electrode; the double-stranded nucleic acid formation step wherein the gene sample is added to the electrode having the nucleic acid probe immobilized thereon to thereby form a double-stranded nucleic acid via the hybridization of the nucleic acid probe with the gene sample on the electrode; the intercalator addition step wherein an intercalator being electrochemically active and undergoing a covalent bond together with the double-stranded nucleic acid upon photo irradiation is added; the photo irradiation step wherein the double-stranded nucleic acid is covalently bonded to the intercalator by photo irradiation; the washing step wherein the double-stranded nucleic acid and the unreacted intercalator are washed; and the measurement step wherein the intercalator having been covalently bonded to the double-stranded nucleic acid is detected by electrochemical measurement.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a gene detection method and its device for detecting a target gene with a specific gene sequence existing in a sample by reading the electrochemical luminescence of an intercalator. Background technique [0002] In the past, the method for detecting specific gene sequences by electrochemical methods was: a single-stranded nucleic acid probe with a base sequence complementary to the target gene to be detected was fixed on the surface of the electrode, and the target gene sample denatured into a single strand was mixed with the target gene. After the nucleic acid probe is hybridized, an electrochemically active intercalating agent specifically binding to the nucleic acid probe and the double-stranded nucleic acid of the target gene sample is added to the reaction system of the nucleic acid probe and the gene sample. Then, an external voltage is applied to the reaction system to which the aforementioned intercalating agent...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0006] However, the intercalating agent that can be used in conventional gene detection is non-specifically adsorbed to the surface of the single-stranded nucleic acid probe and the electrode on which the nucleic acid probe is immobilized.

Then, this non-specifically adsorbed intercalating agent forms background noise when detecting the amount of the intercalating agent bound to the double-stranded nucleic acid, and becomes a cause of lowered detection sensitivity.

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