Trifunctional molecular beacon-mediated quadratic amplification for highly sensitive and rapid detection of mercury(II) ion with tunable dynamic range

Highly enhanced Hg2+ detection using optimized DNA and a double coffee ring effect-based SERS map

Hg2+ is a highly toxic heavy metal ion that poses serious risks to human health and the environment. Due to its tendency to accumulate, it can easily enter the human body through the food chain, making it crucial to develop detection sensors that mimic real environmental conditions. To achieve this, our study employed a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor using two strategies. First, we designed a highly selective probe by optimizing the probe and reporter DNA strands to bind Hg2+ within a thymine-thymine mismatch. Second, we used the double coffee ring effect to concentrate the optimized probe DNA. These two strategies greatly enhanced the SERS signal, resulting in a sensor with exceptional sensitivity, a low detection limit of 208.71 fM, and superior selectivity for Hg2+. The practical application of the sensor was demonstrated by successfully detecting Hg2+ in drinking water, tap water, canned tuna, and tuna sashimi. Additionally, the experimental results were presented in a pizza-shaped SERS mapping image, allowing users to estimate Hg2+ concentrations through color, providing a user-friendly and intuitive method for data comprehension and analysis. Our study presents a promising approach for sensitive and reliable Hg2+ detection, with potential implications for environmental monitoring and food safety.

Rolling Circle Amplification as an Efficient Analytical Tool for Rapid Detection of Contaminants in Aqueous Environments

Environmental contaminants are a global concern, and an effective strategy for remediation is to develop a rapid, on-site, and affordable monitoring method. However, this remains challenging, especially with regard to the detection of various contaminants in complex water environments. The application of molecular methods has recently attracted increasing attention; for example, rolling circle amplification (RCA) is an isothermal enzymatic process in which a short nucleic acid primer is amplified to form a long single-stranded nucleic acid using a circular template and special nucleic acid polymerases. Furthermore, this approach can be further engineered into a device for point-of-need monitoring of environmental pollutants. In this paper, we describe the fundamental principles of RCA and the advantages and disadvantages of RCA assays. Then, we discuss the recently developed RCA-based tools for environmental analysis to determine various targets, including heavy metals, organic small molecules, nucleic acids, peptides, proteins, and even microorganisms in aqueous environments. Finally, we summarize the challenges and outline strategies for the advancement of this technique for application in contaminant monitoring.

Tunable Dual-Effector Allostery System for Nucleic Acid Analysis with Enhanced Sensitivity and an Extended Dynamic Range

In the last few years, studies have demonstrated the existence of dual-effector allosteric cooperativity in nature and the mechanism underlying enhanced activation/inhibition performance. In this work, we design an artificial dual-effector allostery system for the construction of a dynamic biosensor that can achieve nucleic acid detection with superior sensitivity and across an extraordinary broad detection range. Our dual-effector allostery-regulated biosensor is based on the multibranched hybridization chain reaction (mHCR) involving three hairpins (H1, H2, and H3). In the presence of the target nucleic acid, the mHCR is initiated via cascading strand displacement events. The products of mHCR are then captured on the electrode surface based on the mechanism of the multivalent proximity ligation assay (mPLA) and the multivalent binding assay (mBA). The subsequent conjugation of streptavidin-modified horseradish peroxidase (SA-HRP) can lead to an increase in the electrochemical signal. Importantly, two distinct allosteric activation sites and two distinct allosteric inhibition sites in H1 are designed to fine-tune the nucleic acid detection sensitivity and the dynamic range. Using this new dual-effector allostery tool, we report the detection of nucleic acid at a dynamic range spanning 10-10¹² aM, 11 orders of magnitude showing the broadest dynamic range reported to date with an allosteric regulation biosensor construct.

Logic Catalytic Interconversion of G-Molecular Hydrogel

By incorporating hemin into G-quadruplex (G₄) during cation-templated self-assembly between guanosine and KB(OH)₄, we have constructed an artificial enzyme hydrogel (AEH)-based system for the highly sensitive and selective detection of Pb²⁺. The sensing strategy is based on a Pb²⁺-induced decrease in AEH activity. Because of the higher efficiency of Pb²⁺ for stabilizing G₄ compared with K⁺, the Pb²⁺ ions substitute K⁺ and trigger hemin release from G₄, thus giving rise to a conformational interconversion accompanied by the loss of enzyme activity. The Pb²⁺-induced catalytic interconversion endows the AEH-based system with high sensitivity and selectivity for detecting Pb²⁺. As a result, the AEH-based system shows an excellent response for Pb²⁺ in the range from 1 pM to 50 nM with a limit of detection of ∼0.32 pM, which is much lower than that of the previously reported G₄-DNAzyme. We also demonstrate that this AEH-based system exhibits high selectivity toward Pb²⁺ over other metal ions. Furthermore, two two-input INHIBIT logic gates have been constructed via switching of the catalytic interconversion induced by K⁺ and Pb²⁺ or K⁺ and pH. Given its versatility, this AEH-based system provides a novel platform for sensing and biomolecular computation.

A Unique Sensitive and Highly Selective Fluorescent Naphthodiaza-Crown Macrocyclic Ligand Chemosensor for Hg2+ in Water

The noticeable enhancement in fluorescence emission of O₂N₂-donor naphthodiaza-crown macrocyclic ligand (L) in the presence of Hg²⁺ was observed in which the fluorescence quantum yield of free ligand L as well as L/Hg²⁺ complex were found to be as 0.29 and 0.49, respectively. The observed ultra-low limit of detection (LOD) for Hg²⁺ by L was determined as low as 1.0 × 10^-11 M in water. A 1:1 stoichiometry was also established for L/Hg²⁺ together with a binding constant K _BH = 66,543 by employing fluorescence spectrophotometry. The competition experiments on L/Hg²⁺ demonstrated highly selective detection of Hg²⁺ in the presence of the library cations. A two path mechanism for detection of metal ion in terms of coordination of metal ion to L and/or the formation of counter ion was proposed by using of ¹H NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy. Graphical Abstract pH dependence mechanism of interaction between Hg²⁺ and macrocyclic ligand L.

A programmed terminal extension strategy to light up multiple beacons for DNA and cellular telomerase detection

A new method to detect DNA and cellular telomerase is developed using an enzyme-triggered terminal extension strategy.