Self-Assembling Protein Arrays Using Electronic Semiconductor Microchips and in Vitro Translation

Protein arrays will greatly accelerate research and development in medical and biological sciences. We have used cell-free protein biosynthesis and a parallel immobilization strategy for producing protein biochips. We demonstrate a model two-protein microarray using luciferase and green fluorescent protein, both expressed in a cell-free system and specifically immobilized on CombiMatrix semiconductor oligonucleotide microarrays. This demonstration provides evidence for the appropriate folding, activity, robust presentation, and efficient flexible detection of proteins on the microscale. Keywords: semiconductor microchip • protein microarray • in vitro translation • self-assembly • fluorescence • electrochemical detection.