Reusable Microfluidic Chambers for Single-Molecule Microscopy

Maintaining a consistent environment in single-molecule microfluidic chambers containing surface-bound molecules requires laborious cleaning and surface passivation procedures. Despite such efforts, variations in nonspecific binding and background signals commonly occur across different chambers. Being able to reuse the chambers without degrading the surface promises significant practical and fundamental advantages; however, this necessitates removing the molecules attached to the surface, such as DNA, proteins, lipids, or nanoparticles. Biotin-streptavidin attachment is widely used for such attachments, as biotin can be readily incorporated into these molecules. In this study, we present single-molecule fluorescence experiments that demonstrate effective resetting and recycling of the chambers at least 10 times by using photocleavable biotin (PC-biotin) and UV-light exposure. This method differs from alternatives as it does not utilize any harsh chemical treatment of the surface. We show that all bound molecules (utilizing various PC-biotin attachment chemistries) can be removed from the surface by a 5 min UV exposure of a specific wavelength. Nonoptimal wavelengths and light sources showed varying degrees of effectiveness. Our approach does not result in any detectable degradation of surface quality as assessed by the nonspecific binding of fluorescently labeled DNA and protein samples and the recovery of the DNA secondary structure and protein activity. The speed and efficiency of the resetting process, the cost-effectiveness of the procedure, and the widespread use of biotin-streptavidin attachment make this approach adaptable for a wide range of single-molecule applications.