Tian Jin Xie,Jia Li Xie,Yu Jie Luo,Kai Mao,Cheng Zhi Huang,Yuan Fang Li,Shu Jun Zhen
DNA nanosheets (DNSs) have been utilized effectively as a fluorescence anisotropy (FA) amplifier for biosensing. But, their sensitivity needs to be further improved. Herein, CRISPR-Cas12a with strong trans-cleavage activity was utilized to enhance the FA amplification ability of DNSs for the sensitive detection of miRNA-155 (miR-155) as a proof-of-principle target. In this method, the hybrid of the recognition probe of miR-155 (T1) and a blocker sequence (T2) was immobilized on the surface of magnetic beads (MBs). In the presence of miR-155, T2 was released by a strand displacement reaction, which activated the trans-cleavage activity of CRISPR-Cas12a. The single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) probe modified with a carboxytetramethylrhodamine (TAMRA) fluorophore was cleaved in large quantities and could not bind to the handle chain on DNSs, inducing a low FA value. In contrast, in the absence of miR-155, T2 could not be released and the trans-cleavage activity of CRISPR-Cas12a could not be activated. The TAMRA-modified ssDNA probe remained intact and was complementary to the handle chain on the DNSs, and a high FA value was obtained. Thus, miR-155 was detected through the obviously decreased FA value with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 40 pM. Impressively, the sensitivity of this method was greatly improved about 322 times by CRISPR-Cas12a, confirming the amazing signal amplification ability of CRISPR-Cas12a. At the same time, the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein was detected by the strategy successfully, indicating that this method was general. Moreover, this method has been applied in the analysis of miR-155 in human serum and the lysates of cells, which provides a new avenue for the sensitive determination of biomarkers in biochemical research and disease diagnosis.
Staphylococcus aureus is a common foodborne pathogen that poses a serious threat to public health, necessitating the development of simple, ultrasensitive, and highly selective detection methods. In this study, we designed a colorimetric sensor by incorporating SA 31 aptamers with DNA nanosheet-templated copper nanoclusters (DNS/CuNCs) for the precise detection of S. aureus . The DNS/CuNCs exhibit peroxidase-like activity, catalyzing the oxidation of TMB to ox-TMB, resulting in a color change directly correlated with the bacterial concentration. This bioassay demonstrated a broad detection range of 10-10 7 CFU/mL and an impressive detection limit of 3 CFU/mL, surpassing most previous reports. In addition, DNS/CuNCs-SA 31 biosensor effectively detected S. aureus at low concentration as low as 58 CFU/mL in practical samples including drinking water, orange juice, and milk using a smartphone-based readout. The study introduces a novel approach for the sensitive and selective detection of S. aureus leveraging the enzyme-like activity of DNA nanostructures, offering a convenient and efficient solution of real-world pathogen monitoring.