The present invention provides a microfluidic nucleic acid sequencing device characterised by comprising:
• a first zone for containing the nucleic acid to be sequenced and an enzyme for pyrophosphorolysing the nucleic acid progressively into its constituent nucleotide triphosphates;
• first and second microfluidic pathways for respectively introducing a first aqueous stream into the first chamber and removing a second ordered aqueous stream of the nucleotide triphosphates;
• a second zone connected to said second microfluidic pathway comprising a droplet head for creating microdroplets of the second aqueous stream in a water-immiscible carrier solvent, at least some of which contain a single nucleotide triphosphate;
• third and fourth microfluidic pathways for respectively introducing the carrier solvent into the second chamber and removing a first stream of the microdroplets in the carrier solvent therefrom;
• at least one contact means to contact the single nucleotide triphosphate in each microdroplet in the first stream with one or more of a pyrophosphatase, a ligase, a polymerase, a fluorophore-labelled capture system selective for at least one of the nucleotide triphosphate types characteristic of the nucleic acid and an exonuclease or polymerase having exonuclease activity and
• a fluorescence-detection system attached to said fourth microfluidic pathway comprising a light source adapted to impinge on each droplet in the first stream of microdroplets in turn and a detector to detect fluorescence emitted therefrom.
The present invention also provides the use of the microfluidic sequencing device to sequence DNA or RNA.
本发明提供了一种微流控核酸测序装置,其特征在于包括
- 第一区,用于容纳待测序的核酸和一种酶,该酶用于将核酸逐步
焦磷酸化为其组成核苷酸
三磷酸酯;
- 第一和第二微流体通道,分别用于将第一
水流引入第一腔室,并移除核苷酸
三磷酸酯的第二有序
水流;
- 与所述第二微流控通路相连的第二区,包括一个液滴头,用于在不溶于
水的载体溶剂中产生第二
水流的微液滴,其中至少有一些微液滴含有单个核苷酸
三磷酸酯;
- 第三和第四微流体通路,分别用于将载体溶剂引入第二腔室,并从其中移除载体溶剂中的第一微滴流;
- 至少一个接触装置,用于将第一液流中每个微滴中的单核苷酸
三磷酸与
焦磷酸酶、连接酶、聚合酶、选择性捕获核酸特征的至少一种核苷酸
三磷酸类型的荧光标记捕获系统以及具有外切酶活性的外切酶或聚合酶中的一种或多种接触,以及
- 连接到所述第四微流体通路的荧光检测系统,该系统包括一个光源,适于依次照射第一微液滴流中的每个液滴,以及一个检测器,用于检测由此发出的荧光。
本发明还提供了利用微流体测序装置对 DNA 或 RNA 进行测序的方法。