Metal-Organic Framework-Loaded Engineering DNAzyme for the Self-Powered Amplified Detection of MicroRNA

Anal Chem. 2022 Sep 27;94(38):13108-13116. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02547. Epub 2022 Sep 15.

Abstract

DNAzyme shows great promise in designing a highly sensitive and specific sensing platform; however, the low cellular uptake efficiency, instability, and especially the insufficient cofactor supply inhibit the intracellular molecule sensor applications. Herein, we demonstrate a novel type of DNAzyme-based self-driven intracellular sensor for microRNA (miRNA) detection in living cells. The sensor consists of a metal-organic framework [zeolite imidazole framework (ZIF-8)] core loaded with a shell consisting of a rationally designed DNAzyme, where the substrate strand is modified with FAM and BHQ-1 nearby both the sides of the restriction site, respectively, while the enzyme strand consists of two separate strands with a complementary fragment to the substrate strand and the targeting miRNA, respectively. The ZIF-8 nanoparticles enable the efficient delivery of DNAzyme into the cell and protect the DNAzyme from degradation. The pH-responsive ZIF-8 degradation is accompanied with the release of the DNAzyme and Zn2+ cofactors, and the intracellular target miRNAs recognize and activate the DNAzyme driven by the Zn2+ cofactors to cleave the substrate strand, resulting in the release of the FAM-labeled shorter product strand and increased fluorescence for miRNA detection. The self-driven approach can be generally applied to various miRNAs' detection through DNAzyme engineering.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biosensing Techniques*
  • DNA, Catalytic* / chemistry
  • Imidazoles
  • Metal-Organic Frameworks*
  • MicroRNAs* / genetics
  • Zeolites*

Substances

  • DNA, Catalytic
  • Imidazoles
  • Metal-Organic Frameworks
  • MicroRNAs
  • Zeolites