Solid-state label-free integrated aptasensor based on graphene-mesoporous silica-gold nanoparticle hybrids and silver microspheres

Metal Ion-Directed Specific DNA Structures and Their Functions

Various DNA structures, including specific metal ion complexes, have been designed based on the knowledge of canonical base pairing as well as general coordination chemistry. The role of metal ions in these studies is quite broad and diverse. Metal ions can be targets themselves in analytical applications, essential building blocks of certain DNA structures that one wishes to construct, or they can be responsible for signal generation, such as luminescence or redox. Using DNA conjugates with metal chelators, one can more freely design DNA complexes with diverse structures and functions by following the simple HSAB rule. In this short review, the authors summarize a part of their DNA chemistries involving specific metal ion coordination. It consists of three topics: (1) significant stabilization of DNA triple helix by silver ion; (2) metal ion-directed dynamic sequence edition through global conformational change by intramolecular complexation; and (3) reconstruction of luminescent lanthanide complexes on DNA and their analytical applications.

Co2TiO4/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanohybrids for Electrochemical Sensing Applications

For the first time, the synthesis, characterization, and analytical application for hydrogen peroxide quantification of the hybrid materials of Co2TiO4 (CTO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is reported, using in situ (CTO/RGO) and ex situ (CTO+RGO) preparations. This synthesis for obtaining nanostructured CTO is based on a one-step hydrothermal synthesis, with new precursors and low temperatures. The morphology, structure, and composition of the synthesized materials were examined using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), neutron powder diffraction (NPD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Rietveld refinements using neutron diffraction data were conducted to determine the cation distributions in CTO. Hybrid materials were also characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller adsorption isotherms, Scanning Electron microscopy, and scanning electrochemical microscopy. From an analytical point of view, we evaluated the electrochemical reduction of hydrogen peroxide on glassy carbon electrodes modified with hybrid materials. The analytical detection of hydrogen peroxide using CTO/RGO showed 11 and 5 times greater sensitivity in the detection of hydrogen peroxide compared with that of pristine CTO and RGO, respectively, and a two-fold increase compared with that of the RGO+CTO modified electrode. These results demonstrate that there is a synergistic effect between CTO and RGO that is more significant when the hybrid is synthetized through in situ methodology.

Cost-effective three dimensional Ag/polymer dyes/graphene-carbon spheres hybrids for high performance nonenzymatic sensor and its application in living cell H2O2 detection

We describe a facile method to synthesize a new type of catalyst by electrodepositing Ag nanocrystals (AgNCs) on the different polymer dyes, Poly (methylene blue) (PMB) or Poly (4-(2-Pyridylazo)-Resorcinol) (PAR) modified graphene‑carbon spheres (GS) hybrids. The self-assembled GS take dual advantages of carbon spheres and graphene. Carbon spheres acts as nano-spacers prevent the aggregation of graphene and guarantee the fast electron transfer of GS. Secondly, polymerized dyes used here are beneficial for AgNCs growing as a linker. The effects of dyes on the growth habits, morphologies and catalytic properties for AgNCs were investigated. A novel electrochemical nonenzymatic sensor for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) detection is fabricated based on the Ag/Polymer dyes/GS ternary composites modified glass carbon electrode (GCE) for the first time. It was found that the proposed electrodes, especially for Ag/PMB/GS/GCE, displayed a peculiar electrocatalytic activity towards H₂O₂ reduction synergistically as compared to Ag/PAR/GS/GCE or Ag/GS/GCE alone. Ag/PMB/GS/GCE showed a linear response over the H₂O₂ concentration range of 0.5 to 1112 μM. The detection limit and sensitivity is 0.15 μM and 400 μA mM^-1 cm^-2, respectively. These outstanding results enable the practical application of Ag/PMB/GS/GCE for the H₂O₂ tracking released from MCF-7 (human breast cancer cells) with satisfactory results.

CdTe amplification nanoplatforms capped with thioglycolic acid for electrochemical aptasensing of ultra-traces of ATP

A "signal off" voltammetric aptasensor was developed for the sensitive and selective detection of ultra-low levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). For this purpose, a new strategy based on the principle of recognition-induced switching of aptamers from DNA/DNA duplex to DNA/target complex was designed using thioglycolic acid (TGA)-capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) as the signal amplifying nano-platforms. Owing to the small size, high surface-to-volume ratio and good conductivity, quantum dots were immobilized on the electrode surface for signal amplification. In this work, methylene blue (MB) adsorbed to DNA was used as a sensitive redox reporter. The intensity of voltammetric signal of MB was found to decrease linearly upon ATP addition over a concentration range of 0.1nM to 1.6μM with a correlation coefficient of 0.9924. Under optimized conditions, the aptasensor was able to selectively detect ATP with a limit of detection of 45pM at 3σ. The results also demonstrated that the QDs-based amplification strategy could be feasible for ATP assay and presented a potential universal method for other small biomolecular aptasensors.

A label-free electrochemiluminescent sensor for ATP detection based on ATP-dependent ligation

In this work, we describe a new label-free, sensitive and highly selective strategy for the electrochemiluminescent (ECL) detection of ATP at the picomolar level via ATP-induced ligation. The molecular-beacon like DNA probes (P12 complex) are self-assembled on a gold electrode. The presence of ATP leads to the ligation of P12 complex which blocks the digestion by Exonuclease III (Exo III). The protected P12 complex causes the intercalation of numerous ECL indicators (Ru(phen)3(2+)) into the duplex DNA grooves, resulting in significantly amplified ECL signal output. Since the ligating site of T4 DNA ligase and the nicking site of Exo III are the same, it involves no long time of incubation for conformation change. The proposed strategy combines the amplification power of enzyme and the inherent high sensitivity of the ECL technique and enables picomolar detection of ATP. The developed strategy also shows high selectivity against ATP analogs, which makes our new label-free and highly sensitive ligation-based method a useful addition to the amplified ATP detection arena.

An ultrasensitive aptasensor for chlorpyrifos based on ordered mesoporous carbon/ferrocene hybrid multiwalled carbon nanotubes

In this study, we designed a novel and ultrasensitive aptamer sensor for the quantitative detection of chlorpyrifos.

Carbon nanomaterials-based electrochemical aptasensors

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) have attracted increasing attention due to their unique electrical, optical, thermal, mechanical and chemical properties. CNMs are extensively applied in electronic, optoelectronic, photovoltaic and sensing devices fields, especially in bioassay technology. These excellent properties significantly depend on not only the functional atomic structures of CNMs, but also the interactions with other materials, such as gold nanoparticles, SiO2, chitosan, etc. This review systematically summarizes applications of CNMs in electrochemical aptasensors (ECASs). Firstly, definition and development of ECASs are introduced. Secondly, different ways of ECASs about working principles, classification and construction of CNMs are illustrated. Thirdly, the applications of different CNMs used in ECASs are discussed. In this review, different types of CNMs are involved such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, etc. Besides, the newly emerging CNMs and CNMs-based composites are also discoursed. Finally, we demonstrate the future prospects of CNMs-based ECASs, and some suggestions about the near future development of CNMs-based ECASs are highlighted.

Graphene and carbon nanodots in mesoporous materials: an interactive platform for functional applications

The present review is focused on a specific class of nanocomposites obtained through integration of graphene or carbon-based nanomaterials (such as carbon nanodots) with mesoporous inorganic or hybrid materials, obtained via template assisted self-assembly. The task of integrating graphene and carbon nanodots with a self-assembly process is still very challenging and this review shows some of the solutions which have been envisaged so far. These nanocomposite materials are an ideal interactive platform for developing innovative functional applications; they have a high capability of undergoing integration into advanced devices, which well exploits the advantage of tuning the wide properties and flexibility of the soft-chemistry route. A wide range of applications have been developed so far which span from sensing to electronics up to optics and biomedicine. Even though a large number of proof-of-concepts have been reported to date, an even greater expansion of applications in the field is expected to happen in the near future.

Ultrasensitive immunoassay for CA125 detection using acid site compound as signal and enhancer

A novel sensitive electrochemical immunosensor was proposed for detection of CA125 based on ferrocenecarboxylic acid (FA), HCl-doped polyaniline (H-PANI) and chitosan hydrochloride (CS-HCl), which were used as substrate materials to generate signal and to enlarge specific surface area. The composite of these three materials (acid center compound, FA@H-PANI@CS-HCl) can be connected by hydrogen (H) in each molecule. Ag@Co3O4 nanosheets were used in the immunosensor to amplify the antibody capacity and to enhance the sensitivity of the immunoassay. This kind of sensor was novel, concise and it is the first time to be used in the detection of CA125. The biosensor exhibited low detection limit (0.25 pg/mL) and wide linear range (0.001-25 ng/mL). The stability, selectivity and reproducibility were acceptable. Serum sample analysis proved that the proposed sensor owned well precision and it might be used in potential clinic testing application in the future.

A label-free fluorescence assay for thrombin based on aptamer exonuclease protection and exonuclease III-assisted recycling amplification-responsive cascade zinc(II)-protoporphyrin IX/G-quadruplex supramolecular fluorescent labels

A simple, label-free and sensitive fluorescence protein assay has been developed on the basis of aptamer exonuclease protection and exonuclease III (Exo III)-assisted recycling amplification-responsive cascade ZnPPIX/G-quadruplex supramolecular fluorescent labels. In the sensing system, a special aptamer probe containing the aptamer sequence at the 3'-terminus and the DNAzyme sequence at the 5'-terminus was applied, which has the capacity to recognize a protein target with high affinity and specificity. Exonuclease I (Exo I) can efficiently catalyze the degradation of free single stranded DNA probes in the 3' to 5' direction. In the presence of the target protein, the strong binding between the target protein and its aptamer can protect aptamer probes from degradation. Subsequently, the protected aptamer probes act as catalysators to trigger hybridization with the hairpin DNA probe that contains a partially "caged" G-quadruplex sequence. Upon interaction with the protected aptamer probes, the hairpin opens to yield the active G-quadruplex structure. In the presence of exonuclease III (Exo III), Exo III-assisted recycling amplification occurs generating numerous G-quadruplex supramolecular structures. The zinc(ii)-protoporphyrin IX (ZnPPIX) fluorophore binds to the G-quadruplexes and this results in the enhanced fluorescence of the fluorophore. The resulting fluorescence of the ZnPPIX/G-quadruplex provides the readout signal for the sensing event. Thrombin is used as the model analyte in the current proof-of-concept. The developed method was demonstrated to have very high sensitivity for the detection of proteins with a limit of detection of 0.2 pM without using washes or separations. In addition, this new method for protein detection is simple and inherits all the advantages of aptamers. The mechanism, moreover, may be generalized and used for other forms of protein analysis.

Graphene hybrids: synthesis strategies and applications in sensors and sensitized solar cells

Graphene exhibits unique 2-D structural, chemical, and electronic properties that lead to its many potential applications. In order to expand the scope of its usage, graphene hybrids which combine the synergetic properties of graphene along with metals/metal oxides and other nanostructured materials have been synthesized and are a widely emerging field of research. This review presents an overview of the recent progress made in the field of graphene hybrid architectures with a focus on the synthesis of graphene-carbon nanotube (G-CNT), graphene-semiconductor nanomaterial (G-SNM), and graphene-metal nanomaterial (G-MNM) hybrids. It attempts to identify the bottlenecks involved and outlines future directions for development and comprehensively summarizes their applications in the field of sensing and sensitized solar cells.

A general method for growing large area mesoporous silica thin films on flat substrates with perpendicular nanochannels

Here we introduce a new synthetic approach to grow mesoporous silica thin films with vertical mesochannels on centimeter-sized substrates via an oil-induced co-assembly process. Adding an oil, i.e., decane, into a CTAB-EtOH-TEOS ammonia solution leads to thin-film formation of mesoporous silica of controlled thickness between 20 and 100 nm with vertical mesochannels on various surfaces. The vertical mesoporous channels were evidenced by grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations. Decane played two roles: (a) as a pore expansion agent (up to 5.7 ± 0.5 nm) and (b) inducing vertically oriented hexagonal mesophases of micelle-silica composite. The production of periodic and vertical nanochannels is very robust, over many different substrate surfaces (from silicon to polystyrene), various silica precursors (TEOS, fumed silica, or zeolite seed), and many oils (decane, petroleum ether, or ethyl acetate). This wide robustness in the formation of vertical nanophases is attributed to a unique mechanism of confined synthesis of surfactant-silicate between two identical thin layers of oils on a substrate.

An amplified electrochemical aptasensor based on hybridization chain reactions and catalysis of silver nanoclusters

In the present study, based on the mimic oxidase catalytic character of nucleic-acid-stabilized silver nanoclusters (DNA/AgNCs) and hybridization chain reactions for signal amplification, the fabrication of a label-free sensitive "turn-on" electrochemical aptasensor for the amplified determination of lysozyme was demonstrated. First, the designed DNA duplex was modified on the electrode. With the specific binding of the target, lysozyme and its aptamer, the lysozyme-binding DNA sequence was liberated, exposing the induced DNA sequence, which in turn triggered the formation of the supersandwich DNA structure. Because the cytosine-rich sequence was designed ingeniously on the DNA sequence, DNA/AgNCs were formed on the supersandwich DNA structure. The peroxidase-like character of DNA/AgNCs produced detectable electrochemical signals for the lysozyme aptasensor, which showed a satisfying sensitive detection of lysozyme with a low detection limit of 42 pM and a wide linear range of 10(-10) M to 10(-5) M.

Fluorescent nanosensor for probing histone acetyltransferase activity based on acetylation protection and magnetic graphitic nanocapsules

Protein acetylation catalyzed by histone acetyltransferases (HATs) is significant in biochemistry and pharmacology because of its crucial role in epigenetic gene regulations. Herein, an antibody-free fluorescent nanosensor is developed for the facile detection of HAT activity based on acetylation protection against exopeptidase cleavage and super-quenching ability of nanomaterials. It is shown for the first time that HAT-catalyzed acetylation could protect the peptide against exopeptidase digestion. FITC-tagged acetylated peptide causes the formation of a nano-quenchers/peptide nano-complex resulting in fluorescence quenching, while the unacetylated peptide is fully degraded by exopeptidase to release the fluorophore and restore fluorescence. Four kinds of nano-quenchers, including core-shell magnetic graphitic nanocapsules (MGN), graphene oxide (GO), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), are comprehensively compared. MGN shows the best selectivity to recognize the acetylated peptide and the lowest detection limit because of its excellent quenching efficiency and magnetic enrichment property. With this MGN-based nanosensor, HAT p300 is detected down to 0.1 nM with wide linear range from 0.5 to 100 nM. This sensor is feasible to assess HAT inhibition and detect p300 activity in cell lysate. The proposed nanosensor is simple, sensitive, and cost-effective for HAT assay, presenting a promising toolkit for epigenetic research and HAT-targeted drug discovery.

Cyclodextrin functionalized graphene-gold nanoparticle hybrids with strong supramolecular capability for electrochemical thrombin aptasensor

We demonstrate a facile one-pot synthetic strategy for controlled synthesis of thio-β-cyclodextrin functionalized graphene/gold nanoparticles (SH-β-CD-Gr/AuNPs) composites using SH-β-CD as both the dispersant and linker. The obtained SH-β-CD-Gr/AuNPs integrate the excellent electrical properties and large surface area of graphene and AuNPs with supramolecular recognition ability of CD, which show more effective electron transfer and higher enriched ability for the ferrocene probe via the host-guest interaction between CD and ferrocene than SH-β-CD-Gr. In the presence of target, the stronger interaction between aptamer and target makes the ferrocene move closer to the electrode surface, thus facilitating the electron transfer. Based on this sensing mechanism, a new and highly sensitive biosensing concept by the use of SH-β-CD-Gr/AuNPs as enhancing materials is demonstrated for "signal-on" detection of targets (thrombin as a model target). This biosensor exhibits a wide linear range for thrombin from 1.6×10(-17) M to 8.0×10(-15) M and a very low limit of detection 5.2×10(-18) M, which is two-order magnitude better than those of SH-β-CD-Gr (the detection linear range from 1.6×10(-15) M to 8.0×10(-13) M and detection limit of 1.0×10(-15) M). Our proposed electrochemical aptasensor based on SH-β-CD-Gr/AuNPs shows good selectivity against other proteins such as human serum albumin, lysozyme and insulin. To the best of our knowledge, the present SH-β-CD-Gr/AuNPs hybrids are the most efficient graphene-based electrochemical active probes ever reported for biosensors.

Mesoporous silica film-assisted amplified electrochemiluminescence for cancer cell detection

A novel mesoporous silica film-assisted amplification method is reported for the sensitive electrochemiluminescence detection of cancer cells.

The graphene/nucleic acid nanobiointerface

In this critical review, we present the recent advances in the design and fabrication of graphene/nucleic acid nanobiointerfaces, as well as the fundamental understanding of their interfacial properties and various nanobiotechnological applications.

Binding-induced collapse of DNA nano-assembly for naked-eye detection of ATP with plasmonic gold nanoparticles

The detection of small molecules depends heavily on complicated GC-MS (Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), HPLC (High-performance liquid chromatography) and some other complicated instruments that are not suitable for point of care detection. Here, we have demonstrated a fast (in 10min), simple (instrument-free) and effective detection platform for small molecule-ATP. In our design, we engineered the hybridization region of aptamer and assembled it into a superstructure to avoid the exposed flexible ends. The binding of ATP triggered the collapse of the superstructures to produce single stranded DNA that can obviously tune the plasmonic coupling of unmodified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Compared to detection platforms based on fully hybridized aptamer double helix, the detection time was significantly decreased to 10min. The resulting color change can be recognized by naked eyes. Our detection is highly specific and selective. Furthermore, a logic gate with multiplexed detection capability for ATP and DNA were demonstrated.

A highly sensitive electrochemical aptasensor for thrombin detection using functionalized mesoporous silica@multiwalled carbon nanotubes as signal tags and DNAzyme signal amplification

In this work, we demonstrated a novel sensitive sandwich-type pseudobienzyme aptasensor for thrombin detection. Greatly amplified sensitivity was based on mesoporous silica-multiwalled carbon nanotube (mSiO2@MWCNT) nanocomposites as enhanced materials and a pseudobienzyme electrocatalytic system. Firstly, the mSiO2@MWCNT nanocomposites not only have good biocompatibility and a suitable microenvironment for stabilizing the aptamer assembly, but also can load large amounts of electron mediator thionine (Thi), platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) and hemin/G-quadruplex bioelectrocatalytic complex. Moreover, in the presence of H2O2 in an electrolytic cell, the synergistic reaction of PtNPs and hemin/G-quadruplex bioelectrocatalyzed the reduction of H2O2, dramatically amplifying the response signals of electron mediator Thi and improving the sensitivity. Secondly, dendrimer functionalized reduced graphene oxide (PAMAM-rGO) as the biosensor platform enhanced the surface area for the immobilization of abundant primary aptamers as well as facilitated electron transfer from Thi to the electrode, thus amplifying the detection response. Using the above multiple effects, the approach showed a high sensitivity and a wider linearity for the detection of thrombin in the range between 0.0001 nM and 80 nM with a detection limit of 50 fM. This new design avoided the fussy labeling process and the spatial distribution of each sequentially acting enzyme, which provided an ideal candidate for the development of a sensitive and simple bioanalytical platform.

Ultrasensitive fluorescence polarization aptasensors based on exonuclease signal amplification and polystyrene nanoparticle amplification

Here, we combine T7 exonuclease (T7 Exo) signal amplification and polystyrene nanoparticle (PS NP) amplification to develop novel fluorescence polarization (FP) aptasensors. The binding of a target/open aptamer hairpin complex or a target/single-stranded aptamer complex to dye-labeled DNA bound to PS NPs, or the self-assembly of two aptamer subunits (one of them labeled with a dye) into a target/aptamer complex on PS NPs leads to the cyclic T7 Exo-catalyzed digestion of the dye-labeled DNA or the dye-labeled aptamer subunit. This results in a substantial decrease in the FP value for the amplified sensing process. Our newly developed aptasensors exhibit a sensitivity five orders of magnitude higher than that of traditional homogeneous aptasensors and a high specificity for the target molecules. These distinct advantages of our proposed assay protocol make it a generic platform for the design of amplified aptasensors for ultrasensitive detection of various target molecules.

Plasma-Enabled Carbon Nanostructures for Early Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Carbon nanostructures (CNs) are amongst the most promising biorecognition nanomaterials due to their unprecedented optical, electrical and structural properties. As such, CNs may be harnessed to tackle the detrimental public health and socio-economic adversities associated with neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). In particular, CNs may be tailored for a specific determination of biomarkers indicative of NDs. However, the realization of such a biosensor represents a significant technological challenge in the uniform fabrication of CNs with outstanding qualities in order to facilitate a highly-sensitive detection of biomarkers suspended in complex biological environments. Notably, the versatility of plasma-based techniques for the synthesis and surface modification of CNs may be embraced to optimize the biorecognition performance and capabilities. This review surveys the recent advances in CN-based biosensors, and highlights the benefits of plasma-processing techniques to enable, enhance, and tailor the performance and optimize the fabrication of CNs, towards the construction of biosensors with unparalleled performance for the early diagnosis of NDs, via a plethora of energy-efficient, environmentally-benign, and inexpensive approaches.

Electrochemical biosensors on platforms of graphene

In recent years, graphene, the two-dimensional closely packed honeycomb carbon lattice, has been attracting much attention in the field of electrochemistry due to its intrinsic properties and merits. Efforts to create novel graphene based electrochemical biosensors have led to the establishment of effective strategies for diverse bioassays, from simple molecules to complex biotargets. In this Feature Article, we provide an overview of electrochemical biosensing with graphene related materials, and discuss the role of graphene in different sensing protocols.

Homogeneously ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of adenosine triphosphate based on multiple signal amplification strategy

An ultrasensitive electrochemical aptasensor was successfully fabricated for the detection of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). For the first time, one detection system combined several elements: magnetic aptamer sequences for target recognition and separation, a DNAzyme assisted cyclic signal amplification strategy, layer-by-layer (LBL) quantum dots (QDs) composites for promoting square wave anodic stripping voltammetric (SWASV) analysis and Bi, Nafion (Nf) and three-dimensional ordered macroporous polyaniline-ionic liquid (Bi/Nf/3DOM PANI-IL) film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for monitoring enhanced SWASV signal. The modification of Nf/3DOM PANI-IL on GCE showed that the preconcentration efficiency was improved by the electrostatic absorption of Cd(2+) with negative Nf layer with the enhanced analytical sensitivity due to a large active surface area of 3DOM structure. The increased SWASV peak current values of the label (CdS)4@SiO2 composites were found to be proportional to the logarithmic value of ATP concentrations in the range of 1pM-10nM and 10nM-1µM, with the detection limit as low as 0.5pM. The proposed aptasensor has shown an excellent performance such as high sensitivity, good selectivity and analytical application in real samples. The results demonstrated that the multiple signal amplified strategy we developed was feasible for clinical ATP assay and would provide a promising model for the detection of other small molecules.

Molecular aptamer beacon tuned DNA strand displacement to transform small molecules into DNA logic outputs

A molecular aptamer beacon tuned DNA strand displacement reaction was introduced in this work. This strand displacement mode can be used to transform the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) input into a DNA strand output signal for the downstream gates to process. A simple logic circuit was built on the basis of this mechanism.

Synthesis of graphene-supported noble metal hybrid nanostructures and their applications as advanced electrocatalysts for fuel cells

Graphene (GN) is an emerging carbon material that may soon find practical applications. With its unusual properties, GN is an ideal platform for constructing a series of GN-based functional nanomaterials. Among them, GN/noble metal hybrids become one of the families of composite materials with extraordinary properties by combining the advantages of noble metal nanostructures and GN. The recent progress in the synthesis of GN/noble metal hybrids is presented first, such as in situ solution based methods, electrochemical deposition methods, self-assembly and other methods. Then, the applications of these novel GN/noble metal hybrids in fuel cells are summarized and discussed. Future research trends and challenges of design and synthesis of GN/noble metal hybrids are proposed.

A pseudo triple-enzyme cascade amplified aptasensor for thrombin detection based on hemin/G-quadruplex as signal label

In this work, a pseudo triple-enzyme cascade amplified electrochemical aptasensor based on hemin/G-quadruplex as signal label for thrombin (TB) was constructed and the amplified electrochemical signal was achieved by the corporate catalysis of alcohol dehydrogenase-graphene sheets (ADH-GSs) bionanocomposite and hemin/G-quadruplex, which simultaneously acted as NADH oxidase and HRP-mimicking DNAzyme. Through "sandwich" reaction, hemin/G-quadruplex labeled gold nanoparticles-ADH-GSs bionanocomposite (AuNPs-ADH-GSs) was captured on electrode surface and thus obtained the electrochemical signal. After the addition of ethanol into the electrolytic cell, ADH availably catalyzed the oxidation of ethanol with the reduction of NAD(+) to NADH. Then, hemin/G-quadruplex as NADH oxidase catalyzed the oxidization of NADH, accompanying with the production of H2O2. Simultaneously, hemin/G-quadruplex as HRP-mimicking DNAzyme catalyzed the reduction of the generated H2O2. Such a catalysis strategy greatly promoted the electron transfer of hemin and resulted in the specific enhancement of electrochemical signal. The proposed TB aptasensor achieved a linear range of 1 pM-50 nM with a detection limit of 0.3 pM (defined as S/N=3). In addition, it showed satisfying stability and reproducibility, good specificity and sensitivity, indicating promising application for the detection of various proteins in clinical analysis.

Inhibition of G-quadruplex assembling by DNA ligation: a versatile and non-covalent labeling strategy for bioanalysis

Through tuning relative thermodynamic stabilities (I, II and III), DNA ligation was coupled to split G-quadruplex probes and a versatile, non-covalent labelling and fluorescent strategy was constructed based on inhibition of template-directed G-quadruplex assembling by ligation reaction. The non-covalent complex between G-quadruplex and fluorescent probe was employed as signalling label and thus covalent modification of DNA probes with fluorescent probes was avoided. Selective detection of small biomolecules (ATP and NAD(+)) in the nanomolar range was realized due to the cofactor-dependent activity of DNA ligases (T4 and Escherichia coli DNA ligase). By virtue of the simple strategy, the effect of mismatch position of single-base mismatched template DNA on the ligation efficiency was validated. Meanwhile, highly mismatch-influenced ligation efficiency of ligase endows the cost-effective strategy great potential for single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. The non-covalent labeling strategy provides a versatile and cost-effective platform for monitor of DNA ligation, cofactor detection, SNP analysis and other ligase-based assays.

A chronocoulometric aptasensor based on gold nanoparticles as a signal amplification strategy for detection of thrombin

A sensitive chronocoulometric aptasensor for the detection of thrombin has been developed based on gold nanoparticle amplification. The functional gold nanoparticles, loaded with link DNA (LDNA) and report DNA (RDNA), were immobilized on an electrode by thrombin aptamers performing as a recognition element and capture probe. LDNA was complementary to the thrombin aptamers and RDNA was noncomplementary, but could combine with [Ru(NH₃)₆]³⁺ (RuHex) cations. Electrochemical signals obtained by RuHex that bound quantitatively to the negatively charged phosphate backbone of DNA via electrostatic interactions were measured by chronocoulometry. In the presence of thrombin, the combination of thrombin and thrombin aptamers and the release of the functional gold nanoparticles could induce a significant decrease in chronocoulometric signal. The incorporation of gold nanoparticles in the chronocoulometric aptasensor significantly enhanced the sensitivity. The performance of the aptasensor was further increased by the optimization of the surface density of aptamers. Under optimum conditions, the chronocoulometric aptasensor exhibited a wide linear response range of 0.1-18.5 nM with a detection limit of 30 pM. The results demonstrated that this nanoparticle-based amplification strategy offers a simple and effective approach to detect thrombin.

Graphene oxide-peptide nanocomplex as a versatile fluorescence probe of protein kinase activity based on phosphorylation protection against carboxypeptidase digestion

The research on complicated kinomics and kinase-target drug discovery requires the development of simple, cost-effective, and multiplex kinase assays. Herein, we propose a novel and versatile biosensing platform for the detection of protein kinase activity based on graphene oxide (GO)-peptide nanocomplex and phosphorylation-induced suppression of carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) cleavage. Kinase-catalyzed phosphorylation protects the fluorophore-labeled peptide probe against CPY digestion and induces the formation of a GO/peptide nanocomplex resulting in fluorescence quenching, while the nonphosphopeptide is degraded by CPY to release free fluorophore as well as restore fluorescence. This GO-based nanosensor has been successfully applied to sensitively detect two model kinases, casein kinase (CKII) and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) with low detection limits of 0.0833 mU/μL and 0.134 mU/μL, respectively. The feasibility of this GO-based sensor was further demonstrated by the assessment of kinase inhibition by staurosporine and H-89, in vitro kinase assay in cell lysates, and simultaneous detection of CKII and PKA activity. Moreover, the GO-based fluorescence anisotropy (FA) kinase assay has been also developed using GO as a FA signal amplifier. The proposed sensor is homogeneous, facile, universal, label-free, and applicable for multiplexed kinase assay, presenting a promising method for kinase-related biochemical fundamental research and inhibitor screening.

A visible multi-digit DNA keypad lock based on split G-quadruplex DNAzyme and silver microspheres

A novel visible multi-digit DNA keypad lock system was fabricated based on split G-quadruplex DNAzyme and silver microspheres. The final result of the keypad lock can be easily recognized by the naked eye and the number of inputs for the keypad lock can be flexibly adjusted. This molecular platform showed excellent scalability and flexibility.

Photoelectrochemical lab-on-paper device based on an integrated paper supercapacitor and internal light source

In this work, a photoelectrochemical (PEC) method was introduced into a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μ-PAD), and thus, a truly low-cost, simple, portable, and disposable microfluidic PEC origami device (μ-PECOD) with an internal chemiluminescence light source and external digital multimeter (DMM) was demonstrated. The PEC responses of this μ-PECOD were investigated, and the enhancements of photocurrents in μ-PECOD were observed under both external and internal light sources compared with that on a traditional flat electrode counterpart. As a further amplification of the generated photocurrents, an all-solid-state paper supercapacitor was constructed and integrated into the μ-PECOD to collect and store the generated photocurrents. The stored electrical energy could be released instantaneously through the DMM to obtain an amplified (∼13-fold) and DMM-detectable current as well as a higher sensitivity than the direct photocurrent measurement, allowing the expensive and sophisticated electrochemical workstation or lock-in amplifier to be abandoned. As a model, sandwich adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding aptamers were taken as molecular reorganization elements on this μ-PECOD for the sensitive determination of ATP in human serum samples in the linear range from 1.0 pM to 1.0 nM with a detection limit of 0.2 pM. The specificity, reproducibility, and stability of this μ-PECOD were also investigated.

Magnetic graphitic nanocapsules for programmed DNA fishing and detection

Graphene nanomaterials are typically used in biosensing applications, and they have been demonstrated as good fluorescence quenchers. While many conventional amplification platforms are available, developing new nanomaterials and establishing simple, enzyme-free and low-cost strategies for high sensitivity biosensing is still challenging. Therefore, in this work, a core-shell magnetic graphitic nanocapsule (MGN) material is synthesized and its capabilities for the detection of biomolecules are investigated. MGN combines the unique properties of graphene and magnetic particles into one simple and sensitive biosensing platform, which quenches around 98% of the dye fluorescence within minutes. Based on a programmed multipurpose DNA capturing and releasing strategy, the MGN sensing platform demonstrates an outstanding capacity to fish, enrich, and detect DNA. Target DNA molecules as low as 50 pM could be detected, which is 3-fold lower than the limit of detection commonly achieved by carbon nanotube and graphene-based fluorescent biosensors. Moreover, the MGN platform exhibits good sensing specificity against DNA mismatch tests. Overall, therefore, these magnetic graphitic nanocapsules demonstrate a promising tool for molecular disease diagnosis and biomedicine. This simple fishing and enrichment strategy may also be extended to other biological and environmental applications and systems.

Multi-labeled functionalized C₆₀ nanohybrid as tracing tag for ultrasensitive electrochemical aptasensing

This work reports a new supramolecular method for the synthesis of the amino and thiol groups functionalized C₆₀ nanoparticles (FC60NPs) with the large surface active sites and good water solubility. First, Prussian blue carried gold nanoparticles were decorated onto the surface of the obtained FC₆₀NPs (abbreviated as Au@PB/FC₆₀). Subsequently, the Au@PB/FC₆₀ was labeled by detection aptamers and alkaline phosphatase to act as tracer. On the other hand, onion-like mesoporous graphene sheets and gold nanoparticles were utilized as the biosensor platform to immobilize a large amount of capture aptamers, owing to theirs porous structure and high surface-to-volume ratio. Based on the sandwich format, a dual signal amplification strategy based on multi-labeled functionalized C₆₀ nanohybrid as tracing tag has been successfully developed for platelet-derived growth factor B-chain electrochemical detection with a wide linear response in the range of 0.002-40 nM and a limit of detection of 0.6 pM (S/N=3). The proposed aptasensor demonstrated good specificity and high sensitivity, implying potential applications in bioanalysis and biomedicine.