Real-time monitoring of enzymatic cleavage of nucleic acids using a quartzcrystal microbalance

The use of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) for monitoring in situ the enz ymatic cleavage of surface-confined nucleic acids by nucleases is described . Such real-time monitoring of mass changes associated with the enzymatic d igestion indicates that the activity and specificity of nucleases is preser ved at the gold surface, and can be used for manipulating surface-confined DNAs and RNAs. These observations indicate great promise for using QCM for elucidating the interactions of nucleic acids with enzymes, and for enhanci ng the power of hybridization biosensors. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. Al l rights reserved.