Tetrahedral DNA Nanoconjugates for Simultaneous Measurement of Telomerase Activity and miRNA

Graphical Seeing dots and AuNPs : Tetrahedral DNA nanoconjugates have been constructed from DNA, peptides, gold nanoparticles and carbon nanodots. Target telomerase and miRNA can achieve strand displacement of corresponding DNA strands with quenched fluorescence reporters. The as-prepared biosystem is suitable for the simultaneous sensing and imaging of the dual biomarkers for diagnostics purposes. In this study, a tetrahedral DNA nanostructure was first self-assembled; this was then conjugated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and carbon nanodots (CDs). The fabricated nanocomposites allow simultaneous analysis of telomerase activity and miRNA with dual fluorescence channels. By further introducing an iRGD peptide sequence, the nanoconjuates can be conveniently transferred inside living cells for in situ imaging. The analytical performances and anti-jamming capabilities are excellent. Meanwhile, the materials are highly biocompatible for intracellular applications. Therefore, the proposed biosystem shows great promise as a powerful tool for quantitative analysis of the dual biomarkers. The strategy can also be further exploited as a versatile platform for in situ detection of many other targets for early disease diagnosis.