Direct Modification of mRNA by Ferrocenyl Carbodiimide and Its Application to Electrochemical Detection of mRNA

Abstract

Ferrocenyl carbodiimide (1) could be used for the direct labeling of synthetic RNA and expressed mRNA in vitro with the electrochemically active ferrocene moieties. These RNAs modified by 1 could be detected electrochemically coupled with a DNA probe-immobilized electrode. After hybridization of 1.1 Kb mRNA modified by 1 with the DNA probe-immobilized electrode, the peak charge observed by an Osteryoung square wave voltammetry (SWV) measurement correlated well with the concentration of mRNA, having a detection limit at the sub nanogram level.