Detection of a specific DNA sequence by electrophoresis through a molecularly imprinted polymer

To develop a simple and inexpensive DNA detection method, we prepared a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) gel for recognizing a specific double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) target sequence in MIP gel electrophoresis (MIPGE). During MIPGE, migration of the target sequence of dsDNA should be hindered by the capture effect of the binding sites in the MIP gel. This migration hindrance of target dsDNA was determined by plotting the relationship between the migration distance in the MIP gel and that in polyacrylamide gel, commonly used in gel electrophoresis. Using this plot, detection of a target dsDNA from a mixture of different-sized dsDNA fragments was achieved. Moreover, we found the detection method successfully distinguished between a target and its base-pair substitutes. These results suggest that MIPGE could be employed for detection of a target dsDNA sequence.