Single cell lysis and DNA extending using electroporation microfluidic device

The purpose of cell lysis is to obtain intracellular substances such as DNA and proteins for analysis. Commonly used methods include chemical (chemical solution decomposition) and physical (electricity or mechanical force). This study proposes an integrated system using an electroporation and microfluidic device made by micro-photolithography to lyse a single cell and stretch its DNA. The PDMS, as the manufacturing material of the microfluidic device, consists of 2 parts: the cell lytic zone, in which the immobilized cells trapped within the dense microstructure are lysed at a single-cell level, and the DNA stretching and recovery zone. This study showed that in a hypotonic environment (75 mM glucose solution), when electric field conditions were 100 Vpp and 1 kHz, the target cell was lysed and its DNA was released into the solution. When injected with proteinase K, the DNA flowed along the rectangular microstructure and was stretched to a length exceeding 840 μm.