Novel stem–loop probe DNA arrays: Detection of specific acetotrophic 16S ribosomal RNA signatures

In a recent study, we showed how novel stem–loop DNA probes on dendron-modified aldehyde substrates could be used to detect synthetic nucleic acid targets without amplification. In this article, we demonstrate the application of stem–loop DNA probes as arrays for the detection of specific families and genera of methane-producing bacteria from sludge samples harvested from an anaerobic digester using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) signatures. Specific 16S rRNA could be detected in samples that had 0.2ng/μl total sludge RNA without any target amplification.