Highly Sensitive Photoelectrochemical Biosensor for MicroRNA-21 Based on a Dumbbell-Shaped Heterostructure AuNRs@end-TiO2 Combined with Carbon Dots as Photosensitizers and Duplex-Specific Nuclease-Assisted Signal Amplification

Anal Chem. 2022 Oct 4;94(39):13575-13581. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c03230. Epub 2022 Sep 20.

Abstract

TiO2 was grown on both ends of gold nanorods (AuNRs) to form a dumbbell-shaped heterostructure (called AuNRs@end-TiO2) first, and then assembled on the fluorine tin oxide (FTO) electrode surface through hydrophobic interactions to construct a concise photoelectrochemical microRNA-21 (miRNA-21, model target) biosensor using carbon dots (CDs) as photosensitizers. Hairpin probes (HPs) were fixed on the AuNRs@end-TiO2-modified FTO electrode surface through the Au-S bond, and CDs-modified complementary DNA (CDs-cDNA) served as photosensitive probes. In the presence of the target, miRNA hybridized with the HP and triggered double-strand-specific nuclease to cleave the complementary part of the HP with miRNA, and miRNA was released, which can trigger another cycle to realize signal amplification. Many HPs were cleaved and the complementary sequence with cDNA was exposed, which can capture the photosensitive probes to the electrode surface and resulted in photocurrent enhancement. The photocurrent intensity system has a linear relationship with the logarithm of the miRNA concentration in the range of 0.1 fM to 100 pM with a low detection limit of 96 aM (S/N = 3). The biosensor has high sensitivity, good selectivity, and good reproducibility and shows satisfactory results in actual sample detection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biosensing Techniques* / methods
  • Cadmium Compounds* / chemistry
  • Carbon
  • DNA, Complementary
  • Electrochemical Techniques / methods
  • Fluorine
  • Gold / chemistry
  • Limit of Detection
  • Metal Nanoparticles* / chemistry
  • MicroRNAs* / genetics
  • Nanotubes
  • Photosensitizing Agents
  • Quantum Dots* / chemistry
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Tin Compounds
  • Titanium

Substances

  • Cadmium Compounds
  • DNA, Complementary
  • MicroRNAs
  • Photosensitizing Agents
  • Tin Compounds
  • titanium dioxide
  • Fluorine
  • Carbon
  • Gold
  • Titanium
  • stannic oxide