NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
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2024
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IF 16.6
Huang Shen,Lou Yongliang,Zheng Laibao
CRISPR-Cas12a, an RNA-guided nuclease, has been repurposed for genome editing and molecular diagnostics due to its capability of cis-cleavage on target DNA and trans-cleavage on non-target single-strand DNA (ssDNA). However, the mechanisms underlying the activation of trans-cleavage activity of Cas12a, particularly in the context of split DNA activators, remain poorly understood. We elucidate the synergistic effect of these activators and introduce the concepts of induced targeting effect and exon-unwinding to describe the phenomenon. We demonstrate that upon binding of split DNA activators adjacent to the Protospacer Adjacent Motif (PAM) to the Cas12a ribonucleoprotein (Cas12a–RNP), a ternary complex form that can capture and interact with distal split DNA activators to achieve synergistic effects. Notably, if the distal activator is double-strand DNA (dsDNA), the complex initiates exon-unwinding, facilitating the RNA-guide sequence's access. Our findings provide a mechanistic insight into action of Cas12a and propose a model that could significantly advance our understanding of its function.
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FlatChem
·
2024
·
IF 5.9
Taojian Fan,Shaohui Zhang,Changle Meng,Lingfeng Gao,Li Yan,Hao Wang,Xin Shi,Yanqi Ge,Han Zhang,Junqing Hu
Ultra-sensitive nucleic acid detection is important for rapid prevention of infectious diseases. Recently, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) systems with great target specificity and programmability have demonstrated amazing capabilities in the field of nucleic acid detection. However, most CRISPR/Cas systems-based strategies still rely on pre-amplification of nucleic acid, which limits their clinical application in point of care detection. Here, we designed a novel electrochemical CRISPR/Cas biosensor (called E-Sb CRISPR) that utilizes antimonene nanosheets (Sb NSs) modifications. Due to the strong interaction between Sb NSs and single stranded DNA (ssDNA), E-Sb CRISPR exhibited specific nucleic acid detection capabilities with a detection limit of 100 aM within 35 min. Notably, the sensor showed excellent selectivity to target DNA in serum in the presence of nucleus acid extracted from other viruses. The excellent stability (8 weeks) and reproducibility (50 cycles) of this sensor were observed. By developing microcircuits and software systems, rapid acquisition of detection results on mobile electronic devices is possible. Therefore, the E-Sb CRISPR showed great promise as a scalable nucleic acid detection platform for early diagnosis.
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Nature Communications
·
2022
·Vol. 13
·期 1
·1-14
·
IF 17.694
Xu Zhichen,Chen Dongjuan,Li Tao,Yan Jiayu,Zhu Jiang,He Ting,Hu Rui,Li Ying,Yang Yunhuang,Liu Maili
Fast, inexpensive, and multiplexed detection of multiple nucleic acids is of great importance to human health, yet it still represents a significant challenge. Herein, we propose a nucleic acid testing platform, named MiCaR, which couples a mi crofluidic device with CRISPR- C as12a a nd multiplex r ecombinase polymerase amplification. With only one fluorescence probe, MiCaR can simultaneously test up to 30 nucleic acid targets through microfluidic space coding. The detection limit achieves 0.26 attomole, and the multiplexed assay takes only 40 min. We demonstrate the utility of MiCaR by efficiently detecting the nine HPV subtypes targeted by the 9-valent HPV vaccine, showing a sensitivity of 97.8% and specificity of 98.1% in the testing of 100 patient samples at risk for HPV infection. Additionally, we also show the generalizability of our approach by successfully testing eight of the most clinically relevant respiratory viruses. We anticipate this effective, undecorated and versatile platform to be widely used in multiplexed nucleic acid detection.
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MICROCHEMICAL JOURNAL
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2025
·
IF 5.1
Ping Qiu,Longjian Huang,Jiayi Zhang,Wenbo Li,Xudong Xin,Luchang Chen,Qianli Tang,Kai Zhang,Xianjiu Liao,Jihua Wei
We report the development of a novel split aptamer-driven electrochemical biosensor integrating entropy-driven Signal amplification (EDSA) and CRISPR-Cas12a technology for the highly sensitive and specific detection of adenosine deaminase (ADA). ADA is an important biomarker involved in immune regulation and purine metabolism, and its accurate quantification is critical for diagnosing various diseases. In our system, ADA catalyzes the deamination of adenosine to inosine, resulting in the release of Aptamer1 from a split aptamer structure. The liberated Aptamer1 initiates a strand displacement reaction within a Blocker/Bandage/Scaffold complex, triggering a cascade of entropy-driven amplification cycles that generate a DNA duplex capable of activating CRISPR-Cas12a. Activated Cas12a exhibits trans -cleavage activity, specifically cleaving a ferrocene-labeled single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) probe immobilized on a gold electrode, leading to a measurable decrease in electrochemical signal. The biosensor operates under isothermal and enzyme-free conditions, providing simplicity, rapid detection, and low cost. It achieves a low detection limit of 0.688 U·L −1 with a wide linear range from 1 to 20,000 U·L −1 . The system demonstrates excellent specificity against ADA analogues and common interfering proteins and performs reliably in diluted human serum samples. This strategy represents a versatile and modular platform for point-of-care diagnostics. By altering the aptamer sequence, the biosensor can be adapted for the detection of other clinically relevant proteins and enzymes, contributing to advances in personalized medicine.
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高影响因子
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
·
2021
·
IF 7.46
Dawei Li,Shen Ling,Hongsong Wu,Zhaoqi Yang,Bei Lv
In addition to its application in genome editing, the CRISPR/Cas system provides a new molecular tool for the construction of biosensor platforms due to its high target sequence specificity and programmability . To exploit the potential of the CRISPR/Cas system for detecting non-nucleic-acid targets, two ultrasensitive biosensors (sensor-ss and sensor-ds) consisting of allosteric aptamer probes integrated with the CRISPR/Cas12a system were designed and constructed for tobramycin detection. Both sensors utilized hairpin DNA containing a tobramycin aptamer sequence as the target recognition probe, which can respond to target binding and further produce signal transduction sequences. However, there are two differences between the sensors. First, in sensor-ss, single-stranded DNA was set to be the activator to trigger cutting activity ( trans -cleavage) of CRISPR/Cas12a, leading to cleavage of the FQ-reporter (a short single-stranded DNA labeled with a fluorophore and quencher at each end) and increasing the fluorescent signal. However, double-stranded DNA containing a protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) site was produced in sensor-ds as the signal transduction sequence, which was recognized by CRISPR/Cas12a, resulting in the cleavage of the FQ-reporter. Second, sensor-ss involved a strand displacement amplification (SDA) reaction as the signal enhancement step, while no DNA amplification procedure was designed in sensor-ds. Through DNA sequence and reaction condition optimization, sensor-ds showed a linear relationship between the fluorescence response and tobramycin concentrations ranging from 10 to 300 pM with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 3.719 pM. Although sensor-ss exhibited higher sensitivity (LOD = 1.542 pM) than sensor-ds, rapidly reaching the fluorescent signal saturation platform led to a narrow linear response range (5–30 pM). Moreover, our CRISPR/Cas12a-based assay can realize on-site detection by the naked eye readout under UV light. The constructed sensor-ds was also used to detect tobramycin in milk and lake water samples, and the results indicated that the detection system was reliable. The design strategy reported in this study could shed new light on CRISPR/Cas12a-based biosensor construction for small molecule detection.
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Exploration
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2024
·
IF 0
Yiming Zhang,Zhi Chen,Songrui Wei,Yujun Zhang,Hai Fu,Han Zhang,Defa Li,Zhongjian Xie
Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) remains the most prevalent molecular detection technology for sewage analysis but is plagued with numerous disadvantages, such as time consumption, high manpower requirements, and susceptibility to false negatives. In this study, an automated robot-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensing platform is constructed, that utilizes the CRISPR/Cas12a system to achieve fast, ultrasensitive, high specificity detection of biological loads in sewage. The Shennong-1 robot integrates several functional modules, involving sewage sampling and pretreatment to streamline the sewage monitoring. A screen-printed electrode is employed with a vertical graphene-based working electrode and enhanced with surface-deposited Au nanoparticles (NPs). CdTe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) are further fabricated through the double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) anchored on Au NPs. Using the cDNA template of Omicron BA.5 spike gene as a model, the PEC biosensor demonstrates excellent analytical performance, with a lower detection limit of 2.93 × 10 2 z m and an outstanding selectivity at the level of single-base mutation recognition. Furthermore, the rapid, accurate detection of BA.5 in sewage demonstrates the feasibility of the PEC platform for sewage monitoring. In conclusion, this platform allows early detection and tracking of infectious disease outbreaks, providing timely data support for public health institutions to take appropriate prevention and control measures.
研究领域:
环境科学
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生物传感技术
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分子生物学
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公共卫生
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DOI
ACS Sensors
·
2026
·
IF 10.9
Yinghui Sun,Rui Wang,Hongxiao Sun,Jiadong Chen,Chengwei Liang,Zhiyang Zhang,Yujie Feng,Lingxin Chen,Xiaokun Wang
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging biomarkers for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) detection, but most CRISPR−Cas12a assays rely on reverse transcription and preamplification and often lack simple visual readouts. Here, we develop a reverse transcription-free, cleavage-guided strategy that converts miRNA recognition into visual outputs. In the presence of the target miRNA, a scaffold RNA forms an active crRNA that triggers Cas12a trans-cleavage using a preformed dsDNA activator, enabling two readout formats. In a homogeneous non-crosslinking colorimetric assay (mC-NCA), Cas12a cleavage regulates π−π-stacking-mediated gold nanoparticle (AuNP) aggregation to produce a rapid visual colorimetric response. In a heterogeneous versatile lateral flow assay (mC-vLFA), the cleavage of partially hybridized DNA−magnetic bead probes generates a target-dependent test line while maintaining a built-in control line. Using miRNA-21 and miRNA-122 as targets, mC-NCA shows calculated limits of detection (LODs) of 1.62 and 1.64 fM with a linear range of 50 fM−500 pM, whereas mC-vLFA shows calculated LODs of 1.59 and 1.40 fM with a linear range of 10 fM−10 nM. In a preliminary clinical evaluation, both formats show good agreement with reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and clinical assessment while enabling faster detection with minimal instrumentation. Overall, this dual-readout platform couples RT-free CRISPR−Cas12a miRNA recognition with cleavage-directed visual signal transduction, enabling rapid and low-instrument-dependence CRISPR diagnostics for miRNAs.
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高影响因子
Analytical Methods
·
2025
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IF 2.6
Jicong Hao, Xueyan Gong, Xueyuan Duan, Weiwei Qin, Haiying Ren, Xuping ShenTu, Zihong Yea ,Xiaoping Yu
The rapid and ultrasensitive detection of parvovirus B19 (B19V) DNA is critical for preventing severe complications in high-risk populations, such as fetal hydrops in pregnant women and aplastic crisis in immunocompromised patients. The absence of clinically approved vaccines or antivirals against B19V thus mandates the urgent development of accessible in vitro diagnostics to enable time-critical interventions and contain community transmission. Herein, we developed an electrochemical biosensor as a proof-of-concept for B19V by integrating CRISPR-Cas12a with a multivalent framework nucleic acids (FNAs), namely, 12 nm tetrahedral DNA nanostructures (TDNs). Target B19V DNA activates Cas12a to indiscriminately cleave the biotin-modified ssDNA protruded from the four vertexes of the TDNs, while the TDNs precisely orient ssDNA probes on electrodes, minimizing nonspecific adsorption. This method takes advantage of the target-specific cleavage ability of CRISPR-Cas12a (Cas12a-crRNA complex, 10-12 nm) and the unique structural and functional features of 12 nm TDNs. The comparable dimensions of the Cas12a-crRNA complex and the TDN suggest a potential synergistic effect, which contributes to the observed signal amplification and high detection sensitivity. The developed platform is user-friendly, has a low detection limit (2.19 fM), and shows high selectivity. This work establishes a foundational biosensing platform, demonstrating potential for ultrasensitive nucleic acid detection. By combining the accuracy of CRISPR-Cas12a and the benefits of FNAs, this method provides a more efficient, amplification-free, and reliable approach that holds promise for future development in point-of-care diagnostics and other applications.
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BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
·
2025
·
IF 10.5
Qisheng Luo,Chuanhua Zheng,Yongning Huang,Linghuan Liang,Yuanxun Gong,Jiayi Zhang,Qianli Tang,Kai Zhang,Xianjiu Liao
Lead-halide perovskites offer bright electrochemiluminescence (ECL) but suffer from aqueous instability and Pb 2+ safety concerns. We construct a CsPbBr 3 @PDA–Au nanointerface that couples polydopamine (PDA) passivation with Au-assisted charge transfer, integrated into a peptide-to-CRISPR/Cas12a amplification scheme for ultrasensitive detection of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). PDA conformally coats CsPbBr 3 , suppressing trap-mediated quenching and mitigating Pb 2+ release, while providing catechol/amine anchors for a tetrahedral DNA scaffold bearing a ferrocene-labeled hairpin. Upon MMP-2 cleavage of a GPLG↓VRG peptide–DNA chimera, the released strand activates Cas12a trans-cleavage, removing the proximal quencher and switching the interface from “off” to “on.” Under unified processing (baseline subtraction and renormalization), the platform achieves a 5.6 aM detection limit with high selectivity over non-target proteases and excellent inter-device reproducibility (triplicate error bars reported). TEM/HRTEM visualize uniform nanocubes; XPS/FTIR evidence PDA catechol/quinone/amine coordination; XRD confirms phase-pure CsPbBr 3 ; and corrected CV/EIS analyses verify accelerated interfacial kinetics after Au decoration. The sensor retains ∼98 % intra-day and ≥91 % 7-day signal, supporting operational robustness. By integrating interfacial stabilization, catalytic electron transfer, and molecular amplification, this modular design advances eco-conscious, perovskite-based ECL diagnostics for low-abundance protease monitoring and broader clinical bioanalysis.
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BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
·
2025
·
IF 10.5
Wen Tian,Tao Liu,Xiaoying Niu,Po Li,Zhehuang Li,Songcheng Yu,Peng Zhang
DNA methylation serves as a critical epigenetic biomarker for early disease screening and clinical diagnostics, exemplified by the FDA-approved detection of methylated Septin9 gene in peripheral blood for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Conventional CRISPR/Cas12a-based detection systems rely on fluorophore-quencher-labeled ssDNA probes to transduce trans-cleavage activity into fluorescence signal, which yet suffers from limitations including complex probe synthesis, background noise induced by incomplete quenching and high cost. In this study, we developed a cascaded and label-free CRISPR/Cas12a system for Septin9 methylation detection using DNAzyme and split DAP-10. The method employed methylation-sensitive Aci I digestion to selectively hydrolyze non-methylated DNA, leaving methylated Septin9 DNA fragment intact to activate CRISPR/Cas12a system. Activated Cas12a triggered trans-cleavage of DNAzyme, a bifunctional molecule that acted as both trans-cleavage substrate of Cas12a and hydrolysis regulator of linker DNA that facilitated split DAP-10 reassembly to light-up Auramine O (AO) fluorescence proportionally to methylation levels. The assay achieved a linear range from 2 to 200 nM with a detection limit of 1.74 nM and robust performance in accuracy, precision, and selectivity. The proposed method was successfully applied in methylated Septin9 detection in cell lines, clinical tissues and blood samples, which indicated application potential for CRC screening.
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SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
·
2026
·
IF 8.3
Weiwei Jiang,Shuyu Zhou,Shaoqi Dong,Xinyi Gu,Liuyu Pan,Zhaohui Qiao,Danting Yang
Nucleic acid amplification-free detection of Salmonella Typhimurium ( S. Typhimurium ) remains challenging for decentralized food safety monitoring. Herein, we report a multivalent aptamer–mediated competitive electrochemical CRISPR platform for amplification-free detection of S. Typhimurium . A hybridization chain reaction (HCR) was employed to construct HCR-multiApt, a multivalent aptamer scaffold containing repeated crRNA-complementary activator regions. In the absence of bacteria, HCR-multiApt interacts with the Cas12a–crRNA complex and activates trans -cleavage of surface-immobilized electrochemical reporters. Upon target binding, S. Typhimurium competitively occupies the aptamer domains and reduces the accessibility of the crRNA-complementary activator regions, thereby suppressing Cas12a activation and modulating the electrochemical signal. A three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide/gold nanoparticle (3D-rGO/AuNPs) interface was used to enhance probe immobilization and electron transfer, while Hg 2 + -mediated T–Hg²⁺–T coordination enabled conformational regulation of the methylene blue-labeled reporter for improved signal transduction. Mechanistic studies, including microscale thermophoresis, enzyme kinetic analysis, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay, supported the target-dependent competitive regulation mechanism and indicated that HCR-multiApt enhanced the apparent Cas12a activation–cleavage efficiency mainly by increasing productive activation rather than directly altering the intrinsic catalytic activity of activated Cas12a. Under optimized conditions, the platform exhibited a linear detection range of 10 0 –10 8 CFU mL −1 with a detection limit of 3.75 CFU mL −1 . Selective discrimination against non-target bacteria and acceptable recoveries of 83.0–105.7% in spiked milk samples were achieved, with results consistent with conventional plate counting. This competitive multivalent EC-CRISPR strategy provides a programmable framework for amplification-free electrochemical pathogen detection.
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DIAGNOSTIC MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
·
2026
·Vol. 116
·期 3
·117523
·
IF 1.8
Huifeng Yang,Xiaoyi Li,Yimin Su,Jianxin Guo,Tengfei Wang,Zhigang Wang,Hai Fu,Zhi Chen,Zhongjian Xie,Defa Li
Purpose Acute respiratory infections caused by bacterial and viral pathogens pose a major global health burden. The recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA)-CRISPR-Cas12a system offers a promising point-of-care testing (POCT) platform, but its field deployment is limited by the instability of lyophilized reagents. This study aims to develop a composite lyoprotectant to enhance the stability of the RPA-CRISPR-Cas12a system for respiratory pathogen detection. Materials and methods A composite lyoprotectant composed of trehalose and carboxymethyl chitosan (Tre-CMC) was formulated at various mass ratios. The optimal ratio was identified by evaluating matrix microstructure, enzyme activity retention, and primer-dimer suppression. The lyophilized system was tested for sensitivity, specificity, and long-term stability against six respiratory pathogens (H1N1, IBV, Neisseria meningitidis , SARS-CoV-2, Streptococcus pneumoniae , and human adenovirus) using real-time fluorescence and gel electrophoresis. Results This study establishes a promising proof-of-concept framework for an integrated, lyophilized RPA-CRISPR–Cas12a diagnostic system. The optimal Tre: CMC ratio (2:1) produced a porous, non‑hygroscopic matrix that preserved reagent integrity. The lyophilized system achieved a detection limit of 10 copies/reaction within 30 min for all six pathogens, with 100% specificity. After six months of storage at 4°C, RPA enzyme activity remained above 89%, and Cas12a-crRNA complex functionality was fully retained. Tre-CMC significantly reduced primer-dimer formation and nonspecific background fluorescence. While clinical evaluation using 21 nasopharyngeal swab samples demonstrated 100% concordance with RT-qPCR—preliminarily supporting the system's potential diagnostic accuracy—we acknowledge that this initial methodological framework requires broader and more rigorous downstream validation with larger clinical cohorts to formally establish its robust diagnostic performance. Conclusion The Tre-CMC composite lyoprotectant effectively stabilizes the RPA-CRISPR-Cas12a system, enabling cold-chain-independent storage and reliable POCT for respiratory pathogens in resource-limited settings.
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高影响因子
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