Manganese porphyrin-dsDNA complex: a mimicking enzyme for highly efficient bioanalysis

A Rolling Circle-Amplified G-Quadruplex/Hemin DNAzyme for Chemiluminescence Immunoassay of the SARS-CoV-2 Protein

Sensitive detection of the SARS-CoV-2 protein remains a great research interest in clinical screening and diagnosis owing to the coronavirus epidemic. Here, an ultrasensitive chemiluminescence (CL) imaging strategy was developed through proximity hybridization to trigger the formation of a rolling circle-amplified G-quadruplex/hemin DNAzyme for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 protein. The target protein was first recognized by a pair of DNA-antibody conjugates, Ab-1 and Ab-2, to form a proximity-ligated complex, Ab-1/SARS-CoV-2/Ab-2, which contained a DNA sequence complemental to block DNA and thus induced a strand displacement reaction to release the primer from a block/primer complex. The released primer then triggered a rolling circle amplification to form abundant DNAzyme units in the presence of hemin, which produced a strong chemiluminescent signal for the detection of the target protein by catalyzing the oxidation of luminol by hydrogen peroxide. The proposed assay showed a detectable concentration range over 5 orders of magnitude with the detection limit down to 6.46 fg/mL. The excellent selectivity, simple procedure, acceptable accuracy, and intrinsic high throughput of the imaging technique for analysis of serum samples demonstrated the potential applicability of the proposed detection method in clinical screening and diagnosis.

Mitoapocynin, a mitochondria targeted derivative of apocynin induces mitochondrial ROS generation and apoptosis in multiple cell types including cardiac myoblasts: a potential constraint to its therapeutic use

Mitoapocynin is a triphenylphosphonium conjugated derivative of apocynin that specifically locates to the mitochondria. It has been developed as a mitochondrially targeted therapeutic antioxidant. We attempted to attenuate the mitochondrial ROS induced in H9c2 cardiac myoblast cells treated with norepinephrine. Mitoapocynin was a poor quencher of total ROS as detected by the fluoroprobe DCFH-DA. Using mitochondrial superoxide specific probe MitoSoxRed, we found that 5-10 µM mitoapocynin itself induces superoxide over and above that is generated by the norepinephrine treatment. A supposedly control molecule to mitoapocynin, the synthetic compound PhC11TPP, having the triphenylphosphonium group and a benzene moiety with C11 aliphatic chain spacer was also found to be a robust inducer of mitochondrial ROS. Subsequent assays with several cell lines viz., NIH3T3, HEK293, Neuro2A, MCF-7 and H9c2, showed that prolonged exposure to mitoapocynin induces cell death by apoptosis that can be partially prevented by the general antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine. Analyses of mitochondrial electron transport complexes by Blue Native Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that both mitoapocynin and PhC11TPP disrupt the mitochondrial Complex I and V, and in addition, PhC11TPP also damages the Complex IV. Our data thus highlights the limitations of the therapeutic use of mitoapocynin as an antioxidant.

Colorimetric Detection of Class A Soybean Saponins by G-Quadruplex-Based Hybridization Chain Reaction

Soybean saponin is one of the important secondary metabolites in seeds, which has various beneficial physiological functions to human health. GmSg-1 gene is the key enzyme gene for synthesizing class A saponins. It is of great significance to realize the visual and rapid detection of class A saponins at the genetic level. The hybridization chain reaction (HCR) was employed to the visual detection of GmSg-1 gene, which was implemented by changing the length of the target fragment to 92 bp and using the hairpin probes we designed to detect the GmSg-1 ^a and GmSg-1 ^b genes. The best condition of HCR reaction is hemin (1.2 μM), Triton X-100 (0.002%), ABTS (3.8 μM), and H₂O₂ (1.5 mM). It was found that HCR has high specificity for GmSg-1 gene and could be applied to the visual detection of different soybean cultivars containing Aa type, Ab type, and Aa/Ab type saponins, which could provide technical reference and theoretical basis for molecular breeding of soybean and development of functional soybean products.

A novel aptasensor based on HCR and G-quadruplex DNAzyme for fluorescence detection of Carcinoembryonic Antigen

In this paper, a rationally designed aptasensing platform based on Hybridization Chain Reaction (HCR) and G-quadruplex DNAzyme for the fluorescence detection of Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) has been developed. In the presence of target CEA, the aptamer sequence in Aptamer Probe (AP) specifically bound to CEA, resulting in the AP conformation change and thus releasing initiator, which triggered the autonomous cross-opening of Hairpin 1 (H1) and Hairpin 2 (H2) that yielded extended nicked double-stranded DNA via HCR. Upon the addition of hemin, G-rich segments at the end of H1 and H2 self-assembled into the peroxidase-mimicking hemin/G-quadruplex DNAzymes, which catalyzed the hydrogen peroxide-mediated oxidation of thiamine to achieve fluorescence detection of CEA. The HCR product, and the formation and catalytic performance of DNAzyme were characterized by agarose gel electrophoresis, UV-vis spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy, respectively. Under optimal conditions, the fluorescent aptasensor showed a linear relationship ranging from 0.25 to 1.5 nM toward CEA with a detection limit of 0.2 nM. In addition, this aptasensor exhibited high selectivity for CEA without being affected by other interfering proteins, such as IgG, AFP and PSA. Furthermore, this proposed aptasensor was successfully applied to CEA analysis in diluted human serum samples. It is believed that this strategy has a promising potential in biochemical analysis and clinic application.

An Overview on the Mechanisms and Applications of Enzyme Inhibition-Based Methods for Determination of Organophosphate and Carbamate Pesticides

Acetylcholinesterase inactivating compounds, such as organophosphate (OP) and carbamate (CM) pesticides, are widely used in agriculture to ensure sustainable production of food and feed. As a consequence of their applications, they would result in neurotoxicity, even death. In this essence, the development of enzyme inhibition methods still shows great significance as rapid detection techniques for on-site large-scale screening of OPs and CMs. Initially, mechanisms and applications of various enzyme-inhibition-based methods and devices, including optical colorimetric assay, fluorometric assays, electrochemical biosensors, rapid test card, and microfluidic device, are highlighted in the present overview. Further, to enhance the enzyme sensitivity for detection; alternative enzyme sources or high yield enrichment methods (such as abzyme, artificial enzyme, and recombinant enzyme), as well as enzyme reactivation and identification, are also addressed in this comprehensive overview.

Porphyrins as Colorimetric and Photometric Biosensors in Modern Bioanalytical Systems

Advances in porphyrin chemistry have provided novel materials and exciting technologies for bioanalysis such as colorimetric sensor array (CSA), photo-electrochemical (PEC) biosensing, and nanocomposites as peroxidase mimetics for glucose detection. This review highlights selected recent advances in the construction of supramolecular assemblies based on the porphyrin macrocycle that provide recognition of various biologically important entities through the unique porphyrin properties associated with colorimetry, spectrophotometry, and photo-electrochemistry.

Detection of HER2+ Breast Cancer Cells using Bioinspired DNA-Based Signal Amplification

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are promising biomarkers for metastatic cancer detection and monitoring progression. However, detection of CTCs remains challenging due to their low frequency and heterogeneity. Herein, we report a bioinspired approach to detect individual cancer cells, based on a signal amplification cascade using a programmable DNA hybridization chain reaction (HCR) circuit. We applied this approach to detect HER2⁺ cancer cells using the anti‐HER2 antibody (trastuzumab) coupled to initiator DNA eliciting a HCR cascade that leads to a fluorescent signal at the cell surface. At 4 °C, this HCR detection scheme resulted in highly efficient, specific and sensitive signal amplification of the DNA hairpins specifically on the membrane of the HER2⁺ cells in a background of HER2⁻ cells and peripheral blood leukocytes, which remained almost non‐fluorescent. The results indicate that this system offers a new strategy that may be further developed toward an in vitro diagnostic platform for the sensitive and efficient detection of CTC.

A nanozyme tag enabled chemiluminescence imaging immunoassay for multiplexed cytokine monitoring

We report a new concept of a chemiluminescence imaging nanozyme immunoassay (CINIA), in which nanozymes are exploited as catalytic tags for simultaneous multiplex detection of cytokines. The CINIA provides a novel and universal nanozyme-labeled multiplex immunoassay strategy for high-throughput detection of relevant biomarkers and further disease diagnosis.

Nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics (nanozymes): next-generation artificial enzymes (II)

An updated comprehensive review to help researchers understand nanozymes better and in turn to advance the field.

Sensitive Hg2+ Sensing via Quenching the Fluorescence of the Complex between Polythymine and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl) Porphyrin (TMPyP)

The interaction between polythymine (dTn) and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl) porphyrin (TMPyP) was systematically studied using various techniques. dTn remarkably enhanced the fluorescence intensity of TMPyP as compared to other oligonucleotides. The enhanced fluorescence intensity and the shift of the emission peaks were ascribed to the formation of a π-π complex between TMPyP and dTn. And the quenching of the dTn-enhanced fluorescence by Hg²⁺ through a synergistic effect occurs due to the heavy atom effect. The binding of Hg²⁺ to TMPyP plays an important role in the Hg-TMPyP-dT₃₀ ternary complex formation. A TMPyP-dT₃₀-based Hg²⁺ sensor was developed with a dynamic range of Hg²⁺ from 5 nM to 100 nM. The detection limit of 1.3 nM was low enough for Hg²⁺ determination. The sensor also exhibited good selectivity against other metal ions. Experiments for tap water and river water demonstrated that the detection method was applicable for Hg²⁺ determination in real samples. The Hg²⁺ sensor based on oligonucleotide dT₃₀-enhanced TMPyP fluorescence was fast and low-cost, presenting a promising platform for practical Hg²⁺ determination.

Aptamer based electrochemical assay for protein kinase activity by coupling hybridization chain reaction

The present work reported a simple, lable-free and sensitive electrochemical method for the detection of protein kinase A (PKA) activity. This method was based on the specific recognition of aptamer and the aptamer-induced hybridization chain reaction (HCR) amplification strategy. The aptasensor was constructed by immobilizing capture probe on a gold electrode via an Au-S bond. When adenosine triphosphate (ATP) aptamer was introduced, its one terminus hybridized with capture probe and the other hybridized with the complementary region of an auxiliary probe, which other region triggered HCR between two hairpin DNA (H1 and H2) to form a long DNA concatamer. At last a large number of electroactive methyle blue (MB) molecules were assembled on the dsDNA concatamer, which generated a significantly amplified electrochemical signal. In the presence of ATP, the HCR would not be performed because the aptamer specifically bond to ATP and the electrochemical response would decrease. However, when ATP and PKA coexisted, the electrochemical response would recovery because that ATP had been translated into ADP by PKA. So the activity of PKA could be effectively monitored according to the change of electrochemical signal. Based on the HCR amplification strategy, the aptasensor showed a wide linear range (4 - 4 ×10⁵ U L^-1) and a low detection limit (1.5 U L^-1) for the detection of PKA. Furthermore, the method was applied to study the inhibitory effect of H-89 on PKA activity. The developed aptasensor was also used to the analysis of drug-induced PKA activity in cell lysates, indicating the potential application of the developed method in the fields of clinical diagnostics and discovery of new targeted drugs.

Manganese porphyrin decorated on DNA networks as quencher and mimicking enzyme for construction of ultrasensitive photoelectrochemistry aptasensor

In this work, the manganese porphyrin (MnPP) decorated on DNA networks could serve as quencher and mimicking enzyme to efficiently reduce the photocurrent of photoactive material 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic acid (PTCA), which was elaborately used to construct a novel label-free aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin (TB) in a signal-off manner. The Au-doped PTCA (PTCA-PEI-Au) with outstanding membrane-forming and photoelectric property was modified on electrode to acquire a strong initial photoelectrochemistry (PEC) signal. Afterward, target binding aptamer Ι (TBAΙ) was modified on electrode to specially recognize target TB, which could further combine with TBAII and single-stranded DNA P1-modified platinum nanoparticles (TBAII-PtNPs-P1) for immobilizing DNA networks with abundant MnPP. Ingeniously, the MnPP could not only directly quench the photocurrent of PTCA, but also acted as hydrogen peroxide (HRP) mimicking enzyme to remarkably stimulate the deposition of benzo-4-chlorhexidine (4-CD) on electrode for further decreasing the photocurrent of PTCA, thereby obtaining a definitely low photocurrent for detection of TB. As a result, the proposed PEC aptasensor illustrated excellent sensitivity with a low detection limit down to 3 fM, exploiting a new avenue about intergrating two functions in one substance for ultrasensitive biological monitoring.

Efficient label-free chemiluminescent immunosensor based on dual functional cupric oxide nanorods as peroxidase mimics

Dual-functional cupric oxide nanorods (CuONRs) as peroxidase mimics are proposed for the development of a flow-through, label-free chemiluminescent (CL) immunosensor. Forming the basis of this cost-efficient, label-free immunoassay, CuONRs, synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method, were deposited onto epoxy-activated standard glass slides, followed by immobilization of biotinylated capture antibodies through a streptavidin bridge. The CuONRs possess excellent catalytic activity, along with high stability as a solid support. Antigens could then be introduced to the sensing system, forming large immunocomplexes that prevent CL substrate access to the surface, thereby reducing the CL signal in a concentration dependent fashion. Using carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as a model analyte, the proposed label-free immunosensor was able to rapidly determine CEA with a wide linear range of 0.1-60ngmL^-1 and a low detection limit of 0.05ngmL^-1. This nanozyme-based immunosensor is simple, sensitive, cost-efficient, and has the potential to be a very promising platform for fast and efficient biosensing applications.

Enzymes as key features in therapeutic cell mimicry

Cell mimicry is a nature inspired concept that aims to substitute for missing or lost (sub)cellular function. This review focuses on the latest advancements in the use of enzymes in cell mimicry for encapsulated catalysis and artificial motility in synthetic bottom-up assemblies with emphasis on the biological response in cell culture or more rarely in animal models. Entities across the length scale from nano-sized enzyme mimics, sub-micron sized artificial organelles and self-propelled particles (swimmers) to micron-sized artificial cells are discussed. Although the field remains in its infancy, the primary aim of this review is to illustrate the advent of nature-mimicking artificial molecules and assemblies on their way to become a complementary alternative to their role models for diverse biomedical purposes.

Hybridization chain reaction: a versatile molecular tool for biosensing, bioimaging, and biomedicine

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental principles, analysis techniques, and application fields of hybridization chain reaction and its development status.

Enzyme-free, signal-amplified nucleic acid circuits for biosensing and bioimaging analysis

Enzyme-free, signal-amplified nucleic acid circuits utilize programmed assembly reactions between nucleic acid substrates to transduce a chemical input into an amplified detection signal.

Sensitive detection of miRNA by using hybridization chain reaction coupled with positively charged gold nanoparticles

Positively charged gold nanoparticles (+)AuNPs can adsorb onto the negatively charged surface of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). Herein, long-range dsDNA polymers could form based on the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) of two hairpin probes (H₁ and H₂) by using miRNA-21 as an initiator. (+)AuNPs could adsorb onto the negatively charged surface of such long-range dsDNA polymers based on the electrostatic adsorption, which directly resulted in the precipitation of (+)AuNPs and the decrease of (+)AuNPs absorption spectra. Under optimal conditions, miRNA-21 detection could be realized in the range of 20 pM-10 nM with a detection limit of 6.8 pM. In addition, (+)AuNPs used here are much more stable than commonly used negatively charged gold nanoparticles ((−)AuNPs) in mixed solution that contained salt, protein or other metal ions. Importantly, the assay could realize the detection of miRNA in human serum samples.

Dendritic structure DNA for specific metal ion biosensor based on catalytic hairpin assembly and a sensitive synergistic amplification strategy

In this work, a sensitive electrochemical biosensing to Pb²⁺ was proposed based on the high specificity of DNAzymes to Pb²⁺. The response signal was efficiently amplified by the catalytic hairpin assembly induced by strand replacement reaction and the formation of dendritic structure DNA (DSDNA) by layer-by-layer assembly. Firstly, in the presence of Pb²⁺, the substrate strand (S1) of the Pb²⁺-specific DNAzymes was specifically cleaved by Pb²⁺. Secondly, one of the two fragments (rS1) introduced into the electrode surface was hybridized with a hairpin DNA (H1) and further replaced by another hairpin DNA (H2) by the hybridization reaction of H1 with H2. The released rS1 then induced the next hybridization with H1. After repeated cycles, the catalytic recycling assembly of H2 with H1 was completed. Thirdly, two bioconjugates of Pt@Pd nanocages (Pt@PdNCs) labeled with DNA S3/S4 and electroactive toluidine blue (Tb) (Tb-S3-Pt@PdNCs and Tb-S4-Pt@PdNCs) were captured onto the resultant electrode surface through the hybridization of S3 and H2, S3 and S4, resulting in the formation of DSDNA triggered by layer-by-layer assembly. This formed DSDNA greatly facilitated the immobilization of manganese(III) meso-tetrakis (4-N-methylpyridiniumyl)-porphyrin (MnTMPyP) as mimicking enzyme. Under the synergistic catalysis of Pt@PdNCs and MnTMPyP to H₂O₂ reduction, the effective signal amplification of the developed Pb²⁺ biosensor was achieved. As a result, the sensitive detection of the proposed electrochemical strategy for Pb²⁺ was greatly improved in the range of 0.1pM-200nM with a detection limit of 0.033pM.

A sensitive impedimetric platform biosensing protein: Insoluble precipitates based on the biocatalysis of manganese(III) meso-tetrakis (4-N-methylpyridiniumyl)-porphyrinin in HCR-assisted dsDNA

In this study, a sensitive biosensing interface for protein was reported based on nonconductive insoluble precipitates (IPs) by the biocatalysis of manganese(III) meso-tetrakis (4-N-methylpyridiniumyl)-porphyrin (MnTMPyP), which was intercalated into formed double-strand DNA (dsDNA) scaffold triggered by hybridization chain reaction (HCR). In the proposed impedimetric aptasensor, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and its aptamer were used as testing model. PtPd nanowires (PtPdNWs) with large surface area and superior conductivity were employed as nanocarriers to greatly immobilize biomolecules (e.g. CEA aptamers). Then, two DNA hairpins H1 and H2 were introduced to trigger HCR with the assistance of DNA initiator, resulting in the formation of a long dsDNA scaffold. Meanwhile, mimicking enzyme MnTMPyP molecules were embedded into the resultant dsDNA, in situ generating the complex MnTMPyP-dsDNA with peroxidase-like activity. Under the biocatalysis of MnTMPyP-dsDNA, 3,3-diaminobenzidine (DAB) was oxidized to form nonconductive IPs. As a result, the electron transfer between electrode interface and redox probe was vastly hindered, leading to the significant amplification of electrochemical impedimetric signal. So, greatly improved analytical performances of the proposed aptasensor were achieved with a detection limit as low as 0.030pgmL(-1). And the successful assay of CEA in human serum samples enabled the developed biosensing platform to have promising potential in bioanalysis.

Photodegradation of organic pollutants in water by immobilized porphyrins and phthalocyanines

New methods for water treatment are required as a result from an increasing awareness in the reduction of the pollution impact in the environment. In the perspective of the photo-oxidation of organic pollutants present in water, the principal incentive for the preparation of heterogeneous photocatalysts is their easy recovery from the reaction mixture, which allows their reuse in successive runs, minimizing the loss of their original photocatalytic properties. Different types of supports can be used in the immobilization of photoactive species, such as porphyrins (Pors) and phthalocyanines (Pcs). This mini-review will consider the different methodologies for the immobilization of Pors and Pcs and their photocatalytic performance in the photodegradation of organic pollutants in water, addressing also their recycling ability in successive water treatments.

Smart CuS Nanoparticles as Peroxidase Mimetics for the Design of Novel Label-Free Chemiluminescent Immunoassay

In the present work, a novel label-free chemiluminescent (CL) immunoassay method was designed by employing smart CuS nanoparticles (CuSNPs) as peroxidase mimetics. The CuSNPs were synthesized through a simple coprecipitation method, and showed high catalytic activity and stability. This efficient label-free CL immunoassay could be easily achieved through a simple strategy. First, CuSNPs dispersed in chitosan were modified on the epoxy-functionalized glass slide to form a solid CL signal interface. Streptavidin was then used to functionalize CuSNPs to capture the biotinylated antibody, further producing a sensing interface. After online incubation with antigen molecules, the formed antibody-antigen complex on the biosensing substrate could prevent the diffusion channel of CL substrate toward the signal interface, and restrained the mimic enzyme-catalyzed CL reaction, finally resulting in the decrease of CL signals of the assay system. Compared to the label-based CL immunoassay, the proposed label-free assay mode is more simple, cheap and fast. Using a model analyte alpha-fetoprotein, the label-free CL immunoassay method had a linear range of 0.1-60 ng/mL and a low detection limit of 0.07 ng/mL. Moreover, the peroxidase mimetic-based label-free CL immunoassay system showed good specificity, acceptable repeatability, and good accuracy. The study provided a promising strategy for the development of highly efficient label-free CL immunoassay system.

Enzyme Mimics: Advances and Applications

Enzyme mimics or artificial enzymes are a class of catalysts that have been actively pursued for decades and have heralded much interest as potentially viable alternatives to natural enzymes. Aside from having catalytic activities similar to their natural counterparts, enzyme mimics have the desired advantages of tunable structures and catalytic efficiencies, excellent tolerance to experimental conditions, lower cost, and purely synthetic routes to their preparation. Although still in the midst of development, impressive advances have already been made. Enzyme mimics have shown immense potential in the catalysis of a wide range of chemical and biological reactions, the development of chemical and biological sensing and anti-biofouling systems, and the production of pharmaceuticals and clean fuels. This Review concerns the development of various types of enzyme mimics, namely polymeric and dendrimeric, supramolecular, nanoparticulate and proteinic enzyme mimics, with an emphasis on their synthesis, catalytic properties and technical applications. It provides an introduction to enzyme mimics and a comprehensive summary of the advances and current standings of their applications, and seeks to inspire researchers to perfect the design and synthesis of enzyme mimics and to tailor their functionality for a much wider range of applications.

Affinity-Mediated Homogeneous Electrochemical Aptasensor on a Graphene Platform for Ultrasensitive Biomolecule Detection via Exonuclease-Assisted Target-Analog Recycling Amplification

As is well-known, graphene shows a remarkable difference in affinity toward nonstructured single-stranded (ss) DNA and double-stranded (ds) DNA. This property makes it popular to prepare DNA-based optical sensors. In this work, taking this unique property of graphene in combination with the sensitive electrochemical transducer, we report a novel affinity-mediated homogeneous electrochemical aptasensor using graphene modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) as the sensing platform. In this approach, the specific aptamer-target recognition is converted into an ultrasensitive electrochemical signal output with the aid of a novel T7 exonuclease (T7Exo)-assisted target-analog recycling amplification strategy, in which the ingeniously designed methylene blue (MB)-labeled hairpin DNA reporters are digested in the presence of target and, then, converted to numerous MB-labeled long ssDNAs. The distinct difference in differential pulse voltammetry response between the designed hairpin reporters and the generated long ssDNAs on the graphene/GCE allows ultrasensitive detection of target biomolecules. Herein, the design and working principle of this homogeneous electrochemical aptasensor were elucidated, and the working conditions were optimized. The gel electrophoresis results further demonstrate that the designed T7Exo-assisted target-analog recycling amplification strategy can work well. This electrochemical aptasensor realizes the detection of biomolecule in a homogeneous solution without immobilization of any bioprobe on electrode surface. Moreover, this versatile homogeneous electrochemical sensing system was used for the determination of biomolecules in real serum samples with satisfying results.

Analytical characterization of IgG–cTpp and IgG–Mn-cTpp conjugates

Herein, the conjugation of carboxylated tetraphenylporphyrin or its derivative containing manganese cation and model protein — immunoglobulin G is presented. The obtained IgG–cTpp and IgG–Mn-cTpp conjugates were subsequently used for model immunoassays construction. The IgG–cTpp formation was confirmed using size-exclusion chromatography. Thanks to the unique properties of applied labels the assay analysis was carried out with both spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric detection. The assays were performed creating semi-quantitative detection system using 96-well plates. The incubation time, ensuring full saturation of the surface with secondary antibodies was also optimized. Moreover, in the case of IgG–Mn-cTpp conjugates we present the possibility of both direct and indirect determination of the label, the latter based on the catalytic activity of Mn-cTpp, which allows for amplification of the measured signal. We proved that both cTpp and Mn-cTpp may be successfully used for protein labeling and serve as universal tracers for various formats of affinity assays and sensors.

Nanozymes in bionanotechnology: from sensing to therapeutics and beyond

Nanozymes are nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics, which have found broad applications in various areas including bionanotechnology and beyond.

Detection of zinc finger protein (EGR1) based on electrogenerated chemiluminescence from singlet oxygen produced in a nanoclay-supported porphyrin environment

Early growth response protein 1 (EGR1), as a characteristic example of zinc finger proteins, acts as a transcription factor in eukaryotic cells, mediating protein-protein interactions. Here, a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL)-based protocol for EGR1 assay was developed with a new eco-friendly emitter: singlet oxygen produced in the vicinity of nanoclay-supported zinc proto-porphyrin IX (ZnPPIX). Its electrochemical reduction stimulates an intense monochromic CL irradiation at 644 nm from the dissolved oxygen as endogenous coreactant in the aqueous solution. This ECL derivation was rationalized via hyphenated spectroscopy and theoretical calculation. To promote hydrophilicity and solid-state immobilization of porphyrins, the lamellar artificial laponite was employed as a nanocarrier owning to its large specific area without the blackbody effect. The facile exfoliation of laponite produced quality monolayered nanosheets and facilitated the adsorption and flattening of PPIX upon the surface, resulting in a highly efficient ECL emission. Based on the release of Zn(2+) in zinc finger domains of EGR1 upon contact with the ECL-inactive PPIX, which was monitored by circular dichroism and UV-absorption, a sensitive Zn(2+)-selective electrode for the "signal-on" detection of EGR1 was prepared with a detection limit down to 0.48 pg mL(-1) and a linearity over 6 orders of magnitude. The proposed porphyrin-based ECL system thus infused fresh blood into the traditional ECL family, showing great promise in bioassays of structural Zn(II) proteins and zinc finger-binding nucleotides.

l-cysteine induced manganese porphyrin electrocatalytic amplification with 3D DNA-Au@Pt nanoparticles as nanocarriers for sensitive electrochemical aptasensor

We successfully applied the novel l-cysteine (RSH) induced manganese porphyrin (MnTPP) electrocatalytic amplification in electrochemical aptasensor for detection of thrombin (TB) with the 3D DNA-Au@Pt nanoparticles (DNA-Au@Pt NPs) as nanocarrier. A further discussion for the suggested mechanism of the reaction involved the MnTPP-catalyzed oxidation of thiols (RSH) to disulfides l-cystine (RSSR) was also discussed in detail in this work. In comparison with traditional H2O2 mediated MnTPP electrocatalytic amplification, the novel reaction with more stable catalytic substrate RSH possessed high catalytic amplification efficiency. In addition, the 3D DNA-Au@Pt NPs could provide abundant binding sites for immobilizing signal tags and enzymes. As a result, the electrochemical signal can be greatly enhanced by the RSH mediated MnTPP electrocatalytic reaction and 3D DNA-Au@Pt NPs. Under optimal conditions, the proposed aptasensor exhibited a wider linear range of 0.1 pM-100 nM with a more sensitive detection limit of 29 fM for TB detection.

DNA Nanostructure-Based Magnetic Beads for Potentiometric Aptasensing

In this work, a simple, general, and sensitive potentiometric platform is presented, which allows potentiometric sensing to be applied to any class of molecule irrespective of the analyte charge. DNA nanostructures are self-assembled on magnetic beads via the incorporation of an aptamer into a hybridization chain reaction. The aptamer-target binding event leads to the disassembly of the DNA nanostructures, which results in a dramatic change in the surface charge of the magnetic beads. Such a surface charge change can be sensitively detected by a polycation-sensitive membrane electrode using protamine as an indicator. With an endocrine disruptor bisphenol A as a model, the proposed potentiometric method shows a wide linear range from 0.1 to 100 nM with a low detection limit of 80 pM (3σ). The proposed sensing strategy will lay a foundation for the development of potentiometric sensors for highly sensitive and selective detection of various targets.

Highly specific fluorescence detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity via photo-induced electron transfer

Sensitive and reliable study of the activity of polynucleotide kinase (PNK) and its potential inhibitors is of great importance for biochemical interaction related to DNA phosphorylation as well as development of kinase-targeted drug discovery. To achieve facile and reliable detection of PNK activity, we report here a novel fluorescence method for PNK assay based on a combination of exonuclease cleavage reaction and photo-induced electron transfer (PIET) by using T4 PNK as a model target. The fluorescence of 3'-carboxyfluorescein-labeled DNA probe (FDNA) is effectively quenched by deoxyguanosines at the 5' end of its complementary DNA (cDNA) due to an effective PIET between deoxyguanosines and fluorophore. Whereas FDNA/cDNA hybrid is phosphorylated by PNK and then immediately cleaved by lambda exonuclease (λ exo), fluorescence is greatly restored due to the break of PIET. This homogeneous PNK activity assay does not require a complex design by taking advantage of the quenching ability of deoxyguanosines, making the proposed strategy facile and cost-effective. The activity of PNK can be sensitively detected in the range of 0.005 to 10 U mL(-1) with a detection limit of 2.1×10(-3) U mL(-1). Research on inhibition efficiency of different inhibitors demonstrated that it can be explored to evaluate inhibition capacity of inhibitors. The application for detection of PNK activity in complex matrix achieved satisfactory results. Therefore, this PIET strategy opens a promising avenue for studying T4 PNK activity as well as evaluating PNK inhibitors, which is of great importance for discovering kinase-targeted drugs.

Manganese porphyrin-double stranded DNA complex guided in situ deposition of polyaniline for electrochemical thrombin detection

In this work, we proposed a novel electrochemical strategy for sensitive detection of thrombin (TB) based on in situ generation of polyaniline (PANI) as a redox mediator by using a manganese porphyrin-double stranded DNA (MnTMPyP-dsDNA) peroxidase-like artificial enzyme mimic as a powerful catalyst and template.

Target-driven DNA association to initiate cyclic assembly of hairpins for biosensing and logic gate operation

Target-driven DNA association is designed for initiating the cyclic assembly of hairpins for target detection and logic gate operation.

A target-driven DNA association was designed to initiate cyclic assembly of hairpins, which led to an enzyme-free amplification strategy for detection of a nucleic acid or aptamer substrate and flexible construction of logic gates. The cyclic system contained two ssDNA (S1 and S2) and two hairpins (H1 and H2). These ssDNA could co-recognize the target to produce an S1–target–S2 structure, which brought their toehold and branch-migration domains into close proximity to initiate the cyclic assembly of hairpins. The assembly product further induced the dissociation of a double-stranded probe DNA (Q:F) via toehold-mediated strand displacement to switch the fluorescence signal. This method could detect DNA and ATP as model analytes down to 21.6 pM and 38 nM, respectively. By designing different DNA input strands, the “AND”, “INHIBIT” and “NAND” logic gates could be activated to achieve the output signal. The proposed biosensing and logic gate operation platform showed potential applications in disease diagnosis.

An enzyme-free and label-free fluorescent biosensor for small molecules by G-quadruplex based hybridization chain reaction

An enzyme-free and label-free fluorescent biosensor is developed by G-quadruplex-based hybridization chain reaction (HCR) for small molecules, using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as the model. Aptamer probes for the recognition of small molecules are hybridized with blocking probes. The G-quadruplex sequences are incorporated into one of the two HCR hairpin probes. In the presence of small molecules (ATP), the formation of aptamer-ATP bioaffinity complexes induces the release of blocking probes; the released blocking probes initiate HCR and numerous G-quadruplexes along DNA nanowires are self-assembled after the HCR process. Using N-methyl mesoporphyrin IX (NMM) as the fluorophore, a "turn-on" fluorescence response can be achieved and detected as low as 15 μmol L(-1) of ATP. This biosensor is applied to detect ATP in biologic samples with satisfactory results.