Sensor gene

The initial hurdle to overcome in the biosensor application of a nucleic acid is that involving its stable attachment on a transducing element which commonly includes a metallic electrode. In the first part of this chapter, we wish to introduce our approach for DNA immobilization (Scheme 1). A detailed characterization of the immobilization chemistry is also presented. In the second part, we follow the development of work from our laboratory on chemical sensor applications of the DNA-modified electrode involving a biosensor for DNA-binding molecules and an electrochemical gene sensor. 

Fiber Optic Affinity Sensors, Immunosensors and Gene Sensors... 

Ihara, T, Nakayama, M., Murata, M., Nakano, K., and Maeda, M., 1997. Gene sensor using ferrocenyl oligonucleotide, Chem. Commun., pp. 1609-1610. 

In enteric bacteria, expression of the nif genes is under general nitrogen regulation by the ntr system. This system consists of essentially a sensor-activator pair of proteins, encoded by ntrB and ntr(d. When fixed nitrogen is limiting, the sensor, NtrB, phosphorylates (and so activates) the activator,... 

HVA calcium channels are biochemically hetero-oligomeric complexes of five proteins encoded by four gene families (Fig. 1) The ax subunits of 190-250 kDa contain the voltage-sensor, the selectivity filter, the ion-conducting pore, the binding sites for most calcium... 

Note that the numbering of the new system is not the same as for the gene symbols. A closely related sodium channel-like proteins have been identified and named Nax. Functional properties of these proteins are not known, except for the NaG protein, which functions as a sodium sensor of body fluid. 

It is well known that survival and proliferation of microbial cells in the environment depend on the expression of advantageous phenotypes controlled by the genotype expression. It is becoming clear that such evolutionary pressure has resulted in a network of sensor mechanisms that transduce environmental stimuli into gene expression and hence a phenotype complementary to the prevail-... 

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