Tetrahedral DNA nanostructure based biosensor for high-performance detection of circulating tumor DNA using all-carbon nanotube transistor

Shenhui Ma; Yaping Zhang; Qinqi Ren; Xiaofang Wang; Jiahao Zhu; Feng Yin; Zigang Li; Min Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.bios.2021.113785

Tetrahedral DNA nanostructure based biosensor for high-performance detection of circulating tumor DNA using all-carbon nanotube transistor

Biosens Bioelectron. 2022 Feb 1:197:113785. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2021.113785. Epub 2021 Nov 14.

Authors

Shenhui Ma¹, Yaping Zhang², Qinqi Ren¹, Xiaofang Wang¹, Jiahao Zhu¹, Feng Yin³, Zigang Li⁴, Min Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
³ Pingshan Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China. Electronic address: yinfeng@pkusz.edu.cn.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Pingshan Translational Medicine Center, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China. Electronic address: lizg@pkusz.edu.cn.
⁵ School of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, China. Electronic address: zhangm@ece.pku.edu.cn.

PMID: 34800925
DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2021.113785

Abstract

Adopting carbon nanotube (CNT) transistors as biosensors has been developed as a promising method for cancer biomarker detection, which has shown superior sensitivity and selectivity. However, the detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) by the CNT transistor based biosensors is still a challenge and no work has been reported. Here, direct label-free DNA detection of AKT2 gene related to triple-negative breast cancer by all-CNT thin-film transistor (TFT) biosensors incorporated with tetrahedral DNA nanostructures (TDNs) is proposed and achieved for the first time. The adoption of TDNs enables improved biosensor response for at least 35% and even as high as 98% as compared with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) probes owing to the enhanced DNA hybridization efficiency. Influence of the TDNs' linker length on the biosensor performance is important and has been investigated. Concentration-dependent DNA detection is achieved by the all-CNT TFT biosensors with a broad linear detection range of six orders of magnitude and a theoretical limit of detection (LOD) of 2 fM. In addition, the all-CNT TFT biosensors exhibit favorable selectivity and repeatability. The platform of all-CNT TFT biosensors incorporated with TDNs has great potential for multiplexed detection of various cancer biomarkers, providing a simple yet high performance universal strategy for low-cost clinical applications.

Keywords: Carbon nanotubes; Circulating tumor DNA; Linker length; Tetrahedral DNA nanostructure; Thin-film transistors.

MeSH terms

Biosensing Techniques*
Circulating Tumor DNA* / genetics
DNA / genetics
Nanostructures*
Nanotubes, Carbon*
Transistors, Electronic

Substances

Circulating Tumor DNA
Nanotubes, Carbon
DNA