Twin target self-amplification-based DNA machine for highly sensitive detection of cancer-related gene

Palindrome-Embedded Hairpin Structure and Its Target-Catalyzed Padlock Cyclization for Label-Free MicroRNA-Initiated Rolling Circle Amplification

Highly sensitive detection of microRNAs (miRNAs) is of great significance in early diagnosis of cancers. Here, we develop a palindrome-embedded hairpin structure and its target-catalyzed padlock cyclization for rolling circle amplification, named PHP-RCA for simplicity, which can be applied in label-free ultrasensitive detection of miRNA. PHP-RCA is a facile system that consists of only an oligonucleotide probe with a palindrome-embedded hairpin structure (PHP). The two ends of PHP were extended as overhangs and designed with the complementary sequences of the target. Hence, the phosphorylated PHP can be cyclized by T4 DNA ligase in the presence of the target that serves as the ligation template. This ligation has formed a palindrome-embedded dumbbell-shaped probe (PDP) that allows phi29 polymerase to perform a typical target-primed RCA on PDP by taking miRNA as a primer, resulting in the production of a lengthy tandem repeat. Benefits from the palindromic sequences and hairpin-shaped structure in padlock double-stranded structures can be infinitely produced during the RCA reaction and provide numerous binding sites for SYBR Green I, a double-stranded dye, achieving a sharp response signal for label-free target detection. We have demonstrated that the proposed system exhibits a good linear range from 0.1 fM to 5 nM with a low detection limit of 0.1 fM, and the non-target miRNA can be clearly distinguished. The advantages of high efficiency, label-free signaling, and the use of only one oligonucleotide component make the PHP-RCA suitable for ultrasensitive, economic, and convenient detection of target miRNAs. This simple and powerful system is expected to provide a promising platform for tumor diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy.

Natural-based Hydrogels: A Journey from Simple to Smart Networks for Medical Examination

Natural hydrogels, due to their unique biological properties, have been used extensively for various medical and clinical examinations that are performed to investigate the signs of disease. Recently, complex-crosslinking strategies improved the mechanical properties and advanced approaches have resulted in the introduction of naturally derived hydrogels that exhibit high biocompatibility, with shape memory and self-healing characteristics. Moreover, the creation of self-assembled natural hydrogels under physiological conditions has provided the opportunity to engineer fine-tuning properties. To highlight recent studies of natural-based hydrogels and their applications for medical investigation, a critical review was undertaken using published papers from the Science Direct database. This review presents different natural-based hydrogels (natural, natural-synthetic hybrid and complex-crosslinked hydrogels), their historical evolution, and recent studies of medical examination applications. The application of natural-based hydrogels in the design and fabrication of biosensors, catheters and medical electrodes, detection of cancer, targeted delivery of imaging compounds (bioimaging) and fabrication of fluorescent bioprobes is summarised here. Without doubt, in future, more useful and practical concepts will be derived to identify natural-based hydrogels for a wide range of clinical examination applications.

Nanomaterials for Healthcare Biosensing Applications

In recent years, an increasing number of nanomaterials have been explored for their applications in biomedical diagnostics, making their applications in healthcare biosensing a rapidly evolving field. Nanomaterials introduce versatility to the sensing platforms and may even allow mobility between different detection mechanisms. The prospect of a combination of different nanomaterials allows an exploitation of their synergistic additive and novel properties for sensor development. This paper covers more than 290 research works since 2015, elaborating the diverse roles played by various nanomaterials in the biosensing field. Hence, we provide a comprehensive review of the healthcare sensing applications of nanomaterials, covering carbon allotrope-based, inorganic, and organic nanomaterials. These sensing systems are able to detect a wide variety of clinically relevant molecules, like nucleic acids, viruses, bacteria, cancer antigens, pharmaceuticals and narcotic drugs, toxins, contaminants, as well as entire cells in various sensing media, ranging from buffers to more complex environments such as urine, blood or sputum. Thus, the latest advancements reviewed in this paper hold tremendous potential for the application of nanomaterials in the early screening of diseases and point-of-care testing.

Inverted mirror image molecular beacon-based three concatenated logic gates to detect p53 tumor suppressor gene

Mutation of p53 tumor suppressor gene represents one of the early molecular events in tumor initiation and progression. Although molecular computing holds tremendous potential with important applications in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of human diseases at the molecular level, designing molecular logic gates to implement cascade amplification via operating autonomously for the detection of point mutations still remains challenging. In this contribution, we developed a three concatenated logic gates (TCLG) to perform multiple strand displacement amplification (m-SDA) for screening the cancer-related point mutations only via designing an innovative molecular beacon (MB). Specifically, using p53 gene as model target, extending the two ends of a MB via adding two fragments with the same sequence achieves two unique terminal single-stranded (ss) overhangs. After self-folding of MB into hairpin structure, the two overhangs exhibit a near inverted mirror image (IM) relationship if taking the base nature and direction into account. For this, the probe is called IM-MB. Because cascade SDAs can occur on IM-MB and promote each other, the target gene can be detected down to 10 pM. Along this line, the TCLG circuit was proposed, and two primers and target gene serve as the indispensable input signals. Utilizing this logic circuit, the point mutation or absence of target gene can be sensitively screened. Moreover, its potential application in the recognition of point mutations in complex biomatrix has been demonstrated via blind test. The proof-of-concept scheme is expected to provide new insight into the development of DNA-based molecular logic gates and their applications in basic research, medical diagnosis and precise treatment and treatment of genetic diseases.

Cyclization of secondarily structured oligonucleotides to single-stranded rings by using Taq DNA ligase at high temperatures

Single-stranded DNA rings play important roles in nanoarchitectures, molecular machines, DNA detection, etc. Although T4 DNA ligase has been widely employed to cyclize single-stranded oligonucleotides into rings, the cyclization efficiency is very low when the oligonucleotides (l-DNAs) take complicated secondary structures at ambient temperatures. In the present study, this problem has been solved by using Thermus aquaticus DNA ligase (Taq DNA ligase) at higher temperatures (65 and 70 °C) where the secondary structures are less stable or completely destroyed. This method is based on our new finding that this ligase successfully functions even when the splint strand is short and forms no stable duplex with l-DNA (at least in the absence of the enzyme). In order to increase the efficiency of cyclization, various operation factors (lengths and sequences of splint, as well as the size of the DNA ring) have been investigated. Based on these results, DNA rings have been successfully synthesized from secondarily structured oligonucleotides in high yields and high selectivity. The present methodology is applicable to the preparation of versatile DNA rings involving complicated secondary structures, which should show novel properties and greatly widen the scope of DNA-based nanotechnology.

We have achieved the efficient preparation of single-stranded DNA rings from secondarily structured oligonucleotides.