Presented here is a method for preparing small DNA arrays on aldehyde-bearing glass slides. Immobilization involves reductive amination and employs oligonucleotides with 3′-terminal lysine residues, obtained in high yield from solid phase syntheses. Spot patterns are produced by protecting selected areas of the aldehyde slides with wax, coating the free surface with a methyl triethylene glycol derivative, and removing the wax with dichloromethane. The DNA arrays give better signal to noise ratios in hybridization experiments than slides without passified background.
oligonucleotides - Schiff bases - solid phase synthesis - DNA - molecular recognition