Metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)-based direct monitoring of p53 in spiked serum

Abstract

We describe the direct monitoring of p53 in a human serum sample by a metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) biosensor. The biomolecular interaction between DNA and p53 protein was measured using a DNA-modified MOSFET under the condition of physiological ionic strength. Treated with p53 in serum, a MOSFET exhibited a comparable change in the drain current, while no alteration in response to serum spiked with DNA binding-defective p53 was observed, leading to a good agreement between theory and experiment. Our data suggest that a MOSFET device can be potentially used for the determination of p53 in serum samples on the basis of DNA-protein interaction.