TY - JOUR

T1 - Propidium monoazide pretreatment on a 3D-printed microfluidic device for efficient PCR determination of 'live versus dead' microbial cells

AU - Zhu, Yanzhe

AU - Huang, Xiao

AU - Xie, Xing

AU - Bahnemann, Janina

AU - Lin, Xingyu

AU - Wu, Xunyi

AU - Wang, Siwen

AU - Hoffmann, Michael R.

N1 - Funding information: The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF OPP1111246).

PY - 2018/7/1

Y1 - 2018/7/1

N2 - Waterborne microbial pathogen detection via nucleic acid analysis on portable microfluidic devices is a growing area of research, development, and application. Traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based nucleic acid analysis detects total extracted DNA, but cannot differentiate live and dead cells. A propidium monoazide (PMA) pretreatment step before PCR can effectively exclude DNA from nonviable cells, as PMA can selectively diffuse through compromised cell membranes and intercalate with DNA to form DNA-PMA complex upon light exposure. The complex strongly inhibits the amplification of the bound DNA in PCR, and thus, only cells with intact cell membranes are detected. Herein, this study reports the development of a microfluidic device to carry out PMA pretreatment 'on-chip'. Chip design was guided by computer simulations, and prototypes were fabricated using a high-resolution 3D printer. The optimized design utilizes split and recombine mixers for initial PMA-sample mixing and a serpentine flow channel containing herringbone structures for dark and light incubation. On-chip PMA pretreatment to differentiate live and dead bacterial cells in buffer and natural pond water samples was successfully demonstrated.

AB - Waterborne microbial pathogen detection via nucleic acid analysis on portable microfluidic devices is a growing area of research, development, and application. Traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based nucleic acid analysis detects total extracted DNA, but cannot differentiate live and dead cells. A propidium monoazide (PMA) pretreatment step before PCR can effectively exclude DNA from nonviable cells, as PMA can selectively diffuse through compromised cell membranes and intercalate with DNA to form DNA-PMA complex upon light exposure. The complex strongly inhibits the amplification of the bound DNA in PCR, and thus, only cells with intact cell membranes are detected. Herein, this study reports the development of a microfluidic device to carry out PMA pretreatment 'on-chip'. Chip design was guided by computer simulations, and prototypes were fabricated using a high-resolution 3D printer. The optimized design utilizes split and recombine mixers for initial PMA-sample mixing and a serpentine flow channel containing herringbone structures for dark and light incubation. On-chip PMA pretreatment to differentiate live and dead bacterial cells in buffer and natural pond water samples was successfully demonstrated.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85049244459&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1039/c8ew00058a

DO - 10.1039/c8ew00058a

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85049244459

VL - 4

SP - 956

EP - 963

JO - Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology

JF - Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology

SN - 2053-1400

IS - 7

ER -