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A colorimetric ATP assay based on the use of a magnesium(II)-dependent DNAzyme

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Abstract

A colorimetric assay for ATP is described that uses a strategy that combines the concept of split Mg(II)-dependent DNAzyme, split aptamer, and hybridization-induced aggregation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Both ATP aptamer and Mg(II)-dependent DNAzyme are split into two fragments which are allocated to two well-designed DNA probes. The probes also possess mutually complementary stem sequences and spacer sequences. In the presence of ATP, the separated DNAzyme sequences in the two probes assemble via the synchronous recognition of ATP with two fragments of the aptamer. Then, the activated DNAzyme catalyzes multiple cycles of the cleavage of its substrate DNA sequence. The latter acts as a linker and induces the aggregation of two types of ssDNA-modified AuNP through the hybridization between the complementary sequences. Thus, the color of the AuNP solution remains red. However, in the absence of ATP, the detached aptamer cannot induce the assembly of DNAzyme to cleave the linker DNA. This results in the aggregation of AuNP and a concomitant color transition from red to purple. This ATP assay, performed at a wavelength of 530 nm, has a linear detection range that extends from 10 pM to 100 nM, with a detection limit of 5.3 pM. It was applied to the detection of ATP in human serum. Conceivably, the strategy has a wide scope in that it may be applied to the colorimetric detection of various other analytes through the split aptamer configuration.

Schematic presentation of colorimetric assay for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) based on the use of a split Mg(II)-dependent DNAzyme, a split aptamer, and by exploiting the hybridization-induced aggregation of gold nanoparticles that leads to a color change from red to purple

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Development Foundation of Nanjing Medical University (2017NJMU175), The National Key Research and Development Program: The key technology of palliative care and nursing for cancer patients (ZDZX2017ZL-01) and The High Level Innovation Team of Nanjing Medical University (JX102GSP201727).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Wuxi No.2 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, 214000, China

    Sha Zhu

  2. Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China

    Sha Zhu, Xiaoying Wang & Yongmei Yin

  3. Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Changzhou No.2 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, 213000, China

    Xiaoying Wang

  4. The Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiang nan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Cheng Jing & Nandi Zhou

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  1. Sha Zhu
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  2. Xiaoying Wang
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  3. Cheng Jing
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  4. Yongmei Yin
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  5. Nandi Zhou
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Correspondence to Yongmei Yin or Nandi Zhou.

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Zhu, S., Wang, X., Jing, C. et al. A colorimetric ATP assay based on the use of a magnesium(II)-dependent DNAzyme. Microchim Acta 186, 176 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3244-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3244-9

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