Homogeneous duplex polymerase chain reaction assay using switchable lanthanide fluorescence probes

Luminescence detection of cysteine based on Ag⁺-mediated conformational change of terbium ion-promoted G-quadruplex

In this work, we developed a simple and sensitive method for the detection of cysteine (Cys) by employing terbium ion (Tb(3+))-promoted G-qudraplex (G4/Tb) as a luminescent probe, which is based on Ag(+)-mediated conformational change of G4/Tb. Due to Ag(+) is able to compete with Tb(3+) to bind guanine at G4, the presence of Ag(+) can lead to the formation of G4/Tb-Ag(+) complex and disrupt the structure of G4/Tb. Meanwhile, the binding of Ag(+) with G4/Tb will also cause the alteration of the excited state of G4 and more efficient energy transfer from G4 to Tb(3+), enhancing the luminescence of G4/Tb. However, upon the addition of Cys, Ag(+) will be released from G4/Tb-Ag(+) complex because of the high affinity of Cys to Ag(+). This results in the re-formation of the conformation of G4/Tb and the decrease of the luminescence of G4/Tb. So, Ag(+)-enhanced luminescence of G4/Tb is associated with its conformational transformation. As a luminescent probe for Cys, G4/Tb not only shows excellent selectivity and sensitivity with a detection limit of 20 nM, but also possesses the features of simple preparation, easy reproducibility, and eliminating the interferences from background fluorescence. We envision that the presented strategy might provide new insight into the biosensing applications of lanthanide complex.

A signal-on fluorescent aptasensor based on single-stranded DNA-sensitized luminescence of terbium (III) for label-free detection of breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is the most common type of malignant tumor in women. Recently, it has been shown that detection of breast cancer tumor cells outside the primitive tumor is an effective early diagnosis with great prognostic and clinical utility. For this purpose, we developed a signal-on fluorescence aptasensor for label-free, facile and sensitive detection of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Due to target-aptamer specific recognition and single-stranded DNA-sensitized luminescence of terbium (III), the proposed aptasensor exhibits excellent sensitivity with detection limit as low as 70 cells mL(-1). Compared with common organic dyes and the emerging nano-technological probes, the combination of terbium (III) and single-stranded DNA signal probe (Tb(3+)-SP) serves as a more powerful bio-probe because of its stable optical property, good biocompatibility and free from complex synthesis. The feasibility investigations have illustrated the potential applicability of this aptasensor for selective and sensitive detection of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Moreover, this proposed aptasensor can be also extended for the determination of other tumor cancers or bio-molecules by altering corresponding aptamers. Taken together, this easy-to-perform aptasensor may represent a promising way for early screening and detection of tumor cancers or other bio-molecules in clinical diagnosis.