A one-step, one-tube colorimetric assay is described for the detection of bacterial double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). It utilizes a G-quadruplex DNAzyme produced by an asymmetric polymerase chain reaction (As-PCR) that catalyzes the oxidation of cysteine to form cystine. This results in the formation of oligonucleotide-modified gold nanoparticles via triplex formation, and eventually in a color change from red to blue that occurs within about 10 mins. This can be measured by ratiometric colorimetric (at 525 and 600 nm). The limit of detection (LOD) for the model analyte (dsDNA of Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus )) is as low as 0.28 pg per 0.05 mL with a good linear response ranging from 16.0 fg·μL −1 to 1.6 ng·μL −1 . This is much lower than previously reported LODs. The assay is highly selective for S. aureus dsDNA over a range of other bacterial DNAs. Conceivably, it provides an attractive alternative tool for rapid detection of bacterial dsDNA as required in pathogen screening in the food industry.
Schematic presentation of a colorimetric assay for bacterial DNA. It is based on the catalytic activity of a G-quadruplex DNAzyme that is formed by an asymmetric PCR involving triplex DNA formation and gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) aggregation.
The mapping of specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in patients’ genome is a critical process for the development of personalized therapy. In this work, a DNA microarray-based resonance light scattering (RLS) assay has been developed for multiplexed detection of breast cancer related SNPs with high sensitivity and selectivity. After hybridization of the desired target single-stranded DNAs (ssDNAs) with the ssDNA probes on a microarray, the polyvalent ssDNA modified 13 nm gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are employed to label the hybridization reaction through the formation of a three-stranded DNA system. The H2O2-mediated enlargement of GNPs is then used to enhance the RLS signal. The microarray-based RLS assay provides a detection limit of 10 pM (S/N = 3) for the target ssDNA and determines an allele frequency as low as 1.0% in the target ssDNA cocktail. Combined with an asymmetric PCR technique, the proposed assay shows good accuracy and sensitivity in profiling 4 SNPs related to breast cancer of three selected cell lines.
Bobo Huang,Lin Ji,Bo Liang,Qingpeng Cao,Tingting Tu,Xuesong Ye
There is a great demand for robust diagnostic and prognostic approaches for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). DNA methylation, a common epigenetic modification, has been found in many promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes. Hypermethylation of these gene promoters will repress the gene transcription and lead to the occurrence of cancers. The abnormal methyation level of the p16 gene promoter could be a promising marker for the detection of HCC. The adsorption affinities between different DNA bases and AuNPs are not the same. After bisulfite treatment and asymmetric PCR, methylation and unmethylation sequences can be changed into guanine-enriched and adenine-enriched sequences, respectively. A home-made gold nanoparticle modified screen printed carbon electrode (AuNP-SPCE) was employed to distinguish the adsorption affinities between guanine-enriched and adenine-enriched sequences, which could be used to analyze the level of DNA methylation. Several key experimental factors were investigated and optimized. The results had shown that the optimal AuNP electrodeposition time was 100 s and 15 min of adsorption could distinguish guanine-enriched and adenine-enriched sequences with a concentration of 100 nM at 25 °C. The detection limit of our AuNP-SPCE was 1.1 ng, and the assay had a good sensitivity of 10% methylation change and was able to distinguish only one methylated CpG site. What's more, the RSD over three assays with a disposable AuNP-SPCE was ≤7.2%. The assay was applied to real samples including cell lines and clinical tissues. Compared with normal hepatic cell lines and normal tissues, lower signals of HCC cell lines and cancer tissues were observed, respectively. It had shown a good discrimination of the abnormal methylation level of the p16 gene promoter.