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A ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe consisting of ssDNA-templated silver nanoclusters for detection of histidine/cysteine, and the construction of combinatorial logic circuits

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Abstract

A ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe consisting of ssDNA-templated silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs) as dual fluorophore has been constructed for highly sensitive and selective detection of cystein (Cys) and histidine (His). The DNA-AgNCs displays dual emission in that photoexcitation at 470 nm results in weak-green fluorescence peaking at 560 nm, while excitation at 550 nm gives strong red fluorescence with a peak at 595 nm. It is found that copper ions (Cu2+) enhance the green fluorescence but quenche the red fluorescence. A ratiometric nanoprobe for Cys (or His) is designed that is based on the competitive interaction of Cys (or His), Cu2+ and DNA-AgNCs. Cys can be distinguished from His by adding Ni2+ as the masking agent, andr His can be distinguished from Cys by adding N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) as the masking agent, respectively. The limits of detection are 5.1 and 4.5 nM for Cys and His, respectively. Furthermore, the ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe is used for constructing combinatorial logic circuits in parallel, including OR//NOR and INHIBIT//IMPLICATION (INH//IMP).

Schematic representation of a ratiometric assay based on DNA-AgNCs with dual emission for detection of histidine/cysteine in serum sample. The sensing system are further used to construct combinatorial logic circuits.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21575138 and No. 21775108), and the Tianjin Science and Technology Project (No. 18PTSYJC00130).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety (Ministry of Education), College of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, China

    Xiaodong Lin, Zhe Hao, Haotian Wu, Minyang Zhao, Xia Gao & Yaqing Liu

  2. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Food Science and Health, School of medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China

    Shuo Wang

  3. Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100037, China

    Yaqing Liu

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  1. Xiaodong Lin
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  2. Zhe Hao
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  4. Minyang Zhao
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  5. Xia Gao
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  6. Shuo Wang
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Correspondence to Shuo Wang or Yaqing Liu.

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Lin, X., Hao, Z., Wu, H. et al. A ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe consisting of ssDNA-templated silver nanoclusters for detection of histidine/cysteine, and the construction of combinatorial logic circuits. Microchim Acta 186, 648 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3749-2

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