Abstract

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology with biosensor surfaces has become a widely-used tool for the study of nucleic acid interactions without any labeling requirements. The method provides simultaneous kinetic and equilibrium characterization of the interactions of biomolecules as well as small molecule-biopolymer binding. SPR monitors molecular interactions in real time and provides significant advantages over optical or calorimetic methods for systems with strong binding coupled to small spectroscopic signals and/or reaction heats. A detailed and practical guide for nucleic acid interaction analysis using SPR-biosensor methods is presented. Details of the SPR technology and basic fundamentals are described with recommendations on the preparation of the SPR instrument, sensor chips, and samples, as well as extensive information on experimental design, quantitative and qualitative data analysis and presentation. A specific example of the interaction of a minor-groove-binding agent with DNA is evaluated by both kinetic and steady-state SPR methods to illustrate the technique. Since the molecules that bind cooperatively to specific DNA sequences are attractive for many applications, a cooperative small molecule-DNA interaction is also presented.