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Wang Y, Yan T, Mei K, Rao D, Wu W, Chen Y, Peng Y, Wang J, Wu S, Zhang Q. Nanomechanical assay for ultrasensitive and rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 based on peptide nucleic acid. NANO RESEARCH 2023; 16:1183-1195. [PMID: 35610981 PMCID: PMC9118818 DOI: 10.1007/s12274-022-4333-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The massive global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic makes the development of more effective and easily popularized assays critical. Here, we developed an ultrasensitive nanomechanical method based on microcantilever array and peptide nucleic acid (PNA) for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA. The method has an extremely low detection limit of 0.1 fM (105 copies/mL) for N-gene specific sequence (20 bp). Interestingly, it was further found that the detection limit of N gene (pharyngeal swab sample) was even lower, reaching 50 copies/mL. The large size of the N gene dramatically enhances the sensitivity of the nanomechanical sensor by up to three orders of magnitude. The detection limit of this amplification-free assay method is an order of magnitude lower than RT-PCR (500 copies/mL) that requires amplification. The non-specific signal in the assay is eliminated by the in-situ comparison of the array, reducing the false-positive misdiagnosis rate. The method is amplification-free and label-free, allowing for accurate diagnosis within 1 h. The strong specificity and ultra-sensitivity allow single base mutations in viruses to be distinguished even at very low concentrations. Also, the method remains sensitive to fM magnitude lung cancer marker (miRNA-155). Therefore, this ultrasensitive, amplification-free and inexpensive assay is expected to be used for the early diagnosis of COVID-19 patients and to be extended as a broad detection tool. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL Supplementary material (experimental section, N gene sequences and all nucleic acid sequences used in the study, Figs. S1-S6, and Tables S1-S3) is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s12274-022-4333-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Material, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Tianhao Yan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Material, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Kainan Mei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Material, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Depeng Rao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Material, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Wenjie Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Material, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Ye Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Material, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Yongpei Peng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Material, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Jianye Wang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022 China
| | - Shangquan Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Material, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Qingchuan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Material, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
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2
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Li W, Wang Y, Xiao Y, Li M, Liu Q, Liang L, Xie W, Wang D, Guan X, Wang L. Simultaneous Dual-Site Identification of 5 mC/8 oG in DNA Triplex Using a Nanopore Sensor. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:32948-32959. [PMID: 35816657 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c08478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
DNA triplex participates in delivering site-specific epigenetic modifications critical for the regulation of gene expression. Among these marks, 5mC with 8oG functions comprehensively on gene expression. Recently, few research studies have emphasized the necessity of incorporation detection of 5mC with 8oG using one DNA triplex at the same time. Herein, DNA triplex structure was designed and tailored for the site-specific identification of 5mC with 8oG by means of nanopore electroanalysis. The identification was associated with the distinguishable current modulation types caused by DNA unzipping through the nanopore in an electrical field. Results demonstrated that the epigenetic modification proximity to the latch zone or constriction area of the nanopore enables differentiation of modification series at single nucleotide resolution in one DNA triplex, at both physiological and mildly acidic environment. In addition, our nanopore method enables the kinetic and thermodynamic studies to calculate the free energy of modified DNA triplex with applied potentials. Gibbs' energy provided the direct evidence that the DNA triplex with these epigenetic modifications is more stable in acidic environment. Considering modified DNA functions significantly in gene expression, the presented method may provide future opportunities to understand incorporating epigenetic mechanisms of many dysregulated biological processes on the basis of accurate detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Li
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Medicine Engineering for Hepatopancreatobiliary Diseases, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 401147, China
| | - Yunjiao Wang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Yicen Xiao
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Medicine Engineering for Hepatopancreatobiliary Diseases, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 401147, China
| | - Minghan Li
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Medicine Engineering for Hepatopancreatobiliary Diseases, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 401147, China
| | - Qianshan Liu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Medicine Engineering for Hepatopancreatobiliary Diseases, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 401147, China
| | - Liyuan Liang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Wanyi Xie
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Deqiang Wang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Xiyun Guan
- Department of Chemistry, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616, United States
| | - Liang Wang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Medicine Engineering for Hepatopancreatobiliary Diseases, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 401147, China
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3
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Mereuta L, Asandei A, Dragomir I, Park J, Park Y, Luchian T. A Nanopore Sensor for Multiplexed Detection of Short Polynucleotides Based on Length-Variable, Poly-Arginine-Conjugated Peptide Nucleic Acids. Anal Chem 2022; 94:8774-8782. [PMID: 35666169 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c01587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Real-time and easy-to-use detection of nucleic acids is crucial for many applications, including medical diagnostics, genetic screening, forensic science, or monitoring the onset and progression of various diseases. Herein, an exploratory single-molecule approach for multiplexed discrimination among similar-sized single-stranded DNAs (ssDNA) is presented. The underlying strategy combined (i) a method based on length-variable, short arginine (poly-Arg) tags appended to peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes, designed to hybridize with selected regions from complementary ssDNA targets (cDNA) in solution and (ii) formation and subsequent detection with the α-hemolysin nanopore of (poly-Arg)-PNA-cDNA duplexes containing two overhangs associated with the poly-Arg tail and the non-hybridized segment from ssDNA. We discovered that the length-variable poly-Arg tail marked distinctly the molecular processes associated with the nanopore-mediated duplexes capture, trapping and unzipping. This enabled the detection of ssDNA targets via the signatures of (poly-Arg)-PNA-cDNA blockade events, rendered most efficient from the β-barrel entrance of the nanopore, and scaled proportional in efficacy with a larger poly-Arg moiety. We illustrate the approach by sensing synthetic ssDNAs designed to emulate fragments from two regions of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid phosphoprotein N-gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Mereuta
- Department of Physics, Alexandru I. Cuza University, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Alina Asandei
- Interdisciplinary Research Institute, Sciences Department, Alexandru I. Cuza University, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Isabela Dragomir
- Interdisciplinary Research Institute, Sciences Department, Alexandru I. Cuza University, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Jonggwan Park
- Department of Bioinformatics, Kongju National University, 38065 Kongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonkyung Park
- Department of Biomedical Science and Research Center for Proteinaceous Materials (RCPM), Chosun University, 61452 Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Tudor Luchian
- Department of Physics, Alexandru I. Cuza University, 700506 Iasi, Romania
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4
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Asandei A, Mereuta L, Bucataru IC, Park Y, Luchian T. A single-molecule insight into the ionic strength dependent, cationic peptide nucleic acids - oligonucleotides interactions. Chem Asian J 2022; 17:e202200261. [PMID: 35419929 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202200261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
To alleviate solubility-related shortcomings associated with the use of neutral peptide nucleic acids (PNA), a powerful strategy is incorporate various charged sidechains onto the PNA structure. Here we employ a single-molecule technique and prove that the ionic current blockade signature of free poly(Arg)-PNAs and their corresponding duplexes with target ssDNAs interacting with a single a-hemolysin (a-HL) nanopore is highly ionic strength dependent, with high salt-containing electrolytes facilitating both capture and isolation of such complexes. Our data illustrate the effect of low ionic strength in reducing the effective volume of free poly(Arg)-PNAs and augmentation of their electrophoretic mobility while traversing the nanopore. We found that unlike in high salt electrolytes, the specific hybridization of cationic moiety-containing PNAs with complementary negatively charged ssDNAs in a salt concentration as low as 0.5 M is dramatically impeded. We suggest a scenario in which reduced charge screening by counterions in low salt electrolytes enables non-specific, electrostatic interactions with the anionic backbone of polynucleotides, thus reducing the ability of PNA-DNA complementary association via hydrogen bonding patterns. We applied an experimental strategy with spatially-separated poly(Arg)-PNAs and ssDNAs, and present evidence at the single-molecule level suggestive of the real-time, long-range interactions-driven formation of poly(Arg)-PNA-DNA complexes, as individual strands entering the nanopore from opposite directions collide inside a nanocavity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Asandei
- Alexandru Ioan Cuza University: Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza, ICI, ROMANIA
| | - Loredana Mereuta
- Alexandru Ioan Cuza University: Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Physics, ROMANIA
| | - Ioana C Bucataru
- Alexandru Ioan Cuza University: Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Physics, ROMANIA
| | - Yoonkyung Park
- Chosun University, Department of Biomedical Science, ROMANIA
| | - Tudor Luchian
- Alexandru I. Cuza University, Physics, Blvd. Carol I, no. 11, 700506, Iasi, ROMANIA
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5
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Denuga S, Whelan DE, O'Neill SP, Johnson RP. Capture and analysis of double‐stranded DNA with the α‐hemolysin nanopore: Fundamentals and applications. ELECTROCHEMICAL SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/elsa.202200001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Robert P. Johnson
- School of Chemistry University College Dublin Ireland
- UCD‐Centre for Food Safety University College Dublin Dublin Ireland
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6
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Wang J, Zhu L, Li T, Li X, Huang K, Xu W. Multiple functionalities of functional nucleic acids for developing high-performance lateral flow assays. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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7
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Bhatti H, Jawed R, Ali I, Iqbal K, Han Y, Lu Z, Liu Q. Recent advances in biological nanopores for nanopore sequencing, sensing and comparison of functional variations in MspA mutants. RSC Adv 2021; 11:28996-29014. [PMID: 35478559 PMCID: PMC9038099 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra02364k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological nanopores are revolutionizing human health by the great myriad of detection and diagnostic skills. Their nano-confined area and ingenious shape are suitable to investigate a diverse range of molecules that were difficult to identify with the previous techniques. Additionally, high throughput and label-free detection of target analytes instigated the exploration of new bacterial channel proteins such as Fragaceatoxin C (FraC), Cytolysin A (ClyA), Ferric hydroxamate uptake component A (FhuA) and Curli specific gene G (CsgG) along with the former ones, like α-hemolysin (αHL), Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A (MspA), aerolysin, bacteriophage phi 29 and Outer membrane porin G (OmpG). Herein, we discuss some well-known biological nanopores but emphasize on MspA and compare the effects of site-directed mutagenesis on the detection ability of its mutants in view of the surface charge distribution, voltage threshold and pore-analyte interaction. We also discuss illustrious and latest advances in biological nanopores for past 2-3 years due to limited space. Last but not the least, we elucidate our perspective for selecting a biological nanopore and propose some future directions to design a customized nanopore that would be suitable for DNA sequencing and sensing of other nontrivial molecules in question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huma Bhatti
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University No. 2 Sipailou Nanjing 210096 People's Republic of China +86-25-83793283 +86-25-83793283
| | - Rohil Jawed
- School of Life Science and Technology, Southeast University No. 2 Sipailou Nanjing 210096 People's Republic of China
| | - Irshad Ali
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University No. 2 Sipailou Nanjing 210096 People's Republic of China +86-25-83793283 +86-25-83793283
| | - Khurshid Iqbal
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University No. 2 Sipailou Nanjing 210096 People's Republic of China +86-25-83793283 +86-25-83793283
| | - Yan Han
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University No. 2 Sipailou Nanjing 210096 People's Republic of China +86-25-83793283 +86-25-83793283
| | - Zuhong Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University No. 2 Sipailou Nanjing 210096 People's Republic of China +86-25-83793283 +86-25-83793283
| | - Quanjun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University No. 2 Sipailou Nanjing 210096 People's Republic of China +86-25-83793283 +86-25-83793283
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8
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Chen X, Zhang Y, Arora P, Guan X. Nanopore Stochastic Sensing Based on Non-covalent Interactions. Anal Chem 2021; 93:10974-10981. [PMID: 34319076 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c02102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A variety of species could be detected by using nanopores engineered with various recognition sites based upon non-covalent interactions, including electrostatic, aromatic, and hydrophobic interactions. The existence of these engineered non-covalent bonding sites was supported by the single-channel recording technique. The advantage of the non-covalent interaction-based sensing strategy was that the recognition site of the engineered nanopore was not specific for a particular molecule but instead selective for a class of species (e.g., cationic, anionic, aromatic, and hydrophobic). Since different species produce current modulations with quite different signatures represented by amplitude, residence time, and even characteristic voltage-dependence curve, the non-covalent interaction-based nanopore sensor could not only differentiate individual molecules in the same category but also enable differentiation between species with similar structures or molecular weights. Hence, our developed non-covalent interaction-based nanopore sensing strategy may find useful application in the detection of molecules of medical and/or environmental importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohan Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3101 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616, United States
| | - Youwen Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3101 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616, United States
| | - Pearl Arora
- Department of Chemistry, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3101 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616, United States
| | - Xiyun Guan
- Department of Chemistry, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3101 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616, United States
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9
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Luchian T, Mereuta L, Park Y, Asandei A, Schiopu I. Single-molecule, hybridization-based strategies for short nucleic acids detection and recognition with nanopores. Proteomics 2021; 22:e2100046. [PMID: 34275186 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.202100046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
DNA nanotechnology has seen large developments over the last 30 years through the combination of detection and discovery of DNAs, and solid phase synthesis to increase the chemical functionalities on nucleic acids, leading to the emergence of novel and sophisticated in features, nucleic acids-based biopolymers. Arguably, nanopores developed for fast and direct detection of a large variety of molecules, are part of a revolutionary technological evolution which led to cheaper, smaller and considerably easier to use devices enabling DNA detection and sequencing at the single-molecule level. Through their versatility, the nanopore-based tools proved useful biomedicine, nanoscale chemistry, biology and physics, as well as other disciplines spanning materials science to ecology and anthropology. This mini-review discusses the progress of nanopore- and hybridization-based DNA detection, and explores a range of state-of-the-art applications afforded through the combination of certain synthetically-derived polymers mimicking nucleic acids and nanopores, for the single-molecule biophysics on short DNA structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tudor Luchian
- Department of Physics, Alexandru I. Cuza University, Iasi, Romania
| | - Loredana Mereuta
- Department of Physics, Alexandru I. Cuza University, Iasi, Romania
| | - Yoonkyung Park
- Department of Biomedical Science and Research Center for Proteinaceous Materials (RCPM), Chosun University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Alina Asandei
- Interdisciplinary Research Institute, Sciences Department, "Alexandru I. Cuza" University, Iasi, Romania
| | - Irina Schiopu
- Interdisciplinary Research Institute, Sciences Department, "Alexandru I. Cuza" University, Iasi, Romania
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10
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Asandei A, Mereuta L, Schiopu I, Park J, Seo CH, Park Y, Luchian T. Non-Receptor-Mediated Lipid Membrane Permeabilization by the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein S1 Subunit. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:55649-55658. [PMID: 33270413 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c17044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Due to the pressing need to generate specific drugs or vaccines for COVID-19 and management of its outbreak, detailed knowledge regarding the SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells and timely, cheap, and easy-to-use detection methods are of critical importance for containing the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Through electrophysiology and fluorescence spectroscopy experiments, we show that even in the absence of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor, the S1 subunit from SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding to neutral phospholipid membranes leads to their mechanical destabilization and permeabilization. A similar cytotoxic effect of the protein was seen in human lung epithelial cells. A monoclonal antibody generated toward the S1 subunit alleviates to a considerable extent the destabilizing potential of the protein in such model membranes. Finally, we demonstrate the proof-of-concept capability of an α-hemolysin (α-HL) protein nanopore to detect in aqueous buffer and real time the region-binding domain of the S1 subunit from SARS-CoV-2 spike protein by monitoring its immunological interaction with a target antibody. Our results may offer new perspectives in understanding the pathogenesis of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, its treatment, and real-time detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Asandei
- Interdisciplinary Research Institute, Sciences Department, "Alexandru I. Cuza" University, Iasi 700506, Romania
| | - Loredana Mereuta
- Department of Physics, "Alexandru I. Cuza" University, Iasi 700506, Romania
| | - Irina Schiopu
- Interdisciplinary Research Institute, Sciences Department, "Alexandru I. Cuza" University, Iasi 700506, Romania
| | - Jonggwan Park
- Department of Bioinformatics, Kongju National University, Kongju 32588, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Ho Seo
- Department of Bioinformatics, Kongju National University, Kongju 32588, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonkyung Park
- Department of Biomedical Science and Research Center for Proteinaceous Materials (RCPM), Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea
| | - Tudor Luchian
- Department of Physics, "Alexandru I. Cuza" University, Iasi 700506, Romania
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11
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Mereuta L, Asandei A, Dragomir IS, Bucataru IC, Park J, Seo CH, Park Y, Luchian T. Sequence-specific detection of single-stranded DNA with a gold nanoparticle-protein nanopore approach. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11323. [PMID: 32647249 PMCID: PMC7347621 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68258-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fast, cheap and easy to use nucleic acids detection methods are crucial to mitigate adverse impacts caused by various pathogens, and are essential in forensic investigations, food safety monitoring or evolution of infectious diseases. We report here a method based on the α-hemolysin (α-HL) nanopore, working in conjunction to unmodified citrate anion-coated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), to detect nanomolar concentrations of short single-stranded DNA sequences (ssDNA). The core idea was to use charge neutral peptide nucleic acids (PNA) as hybridization probe for complementary target ssDNAs, and monitor at the single-particle level the PNA-induced aggregation propensity AuNPs during PNA–DNA duplexes formation, by recording ionic current blockades signature of AuNP–α-HL interactions. This approach offers advantages including: (1) a simple to operate platform, producing clear-cut readout signals based on distinct size differences of PNA-induced AuNPs aggregates, in relation to the presence in solution of complementary ssDNAs to the PNA fragments (2) sensitive and selective detection of target ssDNAs (3) specific ssDNA detection in the presence of interference DNA, without sample labeling or signal amplification. The powerful synergy of protein nanopore-based nanoparticle detection and specific PNA–DNA hybridization introduces a new strategy for nucleic acids biosensing with short detection time and label-free operation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Mereuta
- Department of Physics, 'Alexandru I. Cuza' University, 700506, Iasi, Romania.
| | - Alina Asandei
- Sciences Department, Interdisciplinary Research Institute, 'Alexandru I. Cuza' University, 700506, Iasi, Romania
| | - Isabela S Dragomir
- Sciences Department, Interdisciplinary Research Institute, 'Alexandru I. Cuza' University, 700506, Iasi, Romania
| | - Ioana C Bucataru
- Department of Physics, 'Alexandru I. Cuza' University, 700506, Iasi, Romania
| | - Jonggwan Park
- Department of Bioinformatics, Kongju National University, Kongju, 32588, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Ho Seo
- Department of Bioinformatics, Kongju National University, Kongju, 32588, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonkyung Park
- Department of Biomedical Science and Research Center for Proteinaceous Materials (RCPM), Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, Republic of Korea.
| | - Tudor Luchian
- Department of Physics, 'Alexandru I. Cuza' University, 700506, Iasi, Romania.
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12
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Dragomir IS, Bucataru IC, Schiopu I, Luchian T. Unzipping Mechanism of Free and Polyarginine-Conjugated DNA-PNA Duplexes, Preconfined Inside the α-Hemolysin Nanopore. Anal Chem 2020; 92:7800-7807. [PMID: 32367708 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c00976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In this work, comparative studies on DNA-PNA and polyarginine-conjugated DNA-PNA duplexes unzipping inside the α-hemolysin nanopore (α-HL) are presented. We identified significant differences in the blockade currents, as the applied voltage across the nanopore facilitated the duplex capture inside the nanopore's vestibule against the constriction region, subsequent cDNA strand insertion inside the nanopore's β-barrel past the constriction site, its complete unzip from the duplex, and translocation. We observed that inside the voltage-biased nanopore, polyarginine-conjugated DNA-PNA duplexes dehybridize faster than their DNA-PNA counterparts and proposed a model to describe the duplex unzipping. This study identifies key particularities of DNA-PNA duplex unzipping as it takes place inside the nanopore and being preceded by entrapment in the vestibule domain of the α-HL. Our results are a crucial step toward understanding the nucleic acids duplexes unzipping kinetics variability, in confined, variable geometries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabela S Dragomir
- Interdisciplinary Research Department, Alexandru I. Cuza University, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Ioana C Bucataru
- Department of Physics, Alexandru I. Cuza University, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Irina Schiopu
- Interdisciplinary Research Department, Alexandru I. Cuza University, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Tudor Luchian
- Department of Physics, Alexandru I. Cuza University, 700506 Iasi, Romania
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