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An “off-on” electrochemiluminescence biosensor coupled with strand displacement-powered 3D micromolecule walking nanomachine for ultrasensitive detection of adenosine triphosphate

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Abstract

A three-dimensional (3D) micromolecule walking nanomachine propelled by strand displacement was developed to establish a novel switching electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Generally, walking nanomachines reported previously were limited to DNA walkers, while the proposed 3D walking nanomachine focused on the micromolecule walker. Firstly, TiO2 and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) functionalized N-(4-aminobutyl)-N-(ethylisoluminol) (Ag-ABEI) were deposited onto the electrode surface to offer an enhanced ECL signal, resulting from the double catalytic effect of TiO2 and Ag NPs for H2O2. Following, dopamine (DA)-labeled DNA duplex probes (S1/S2-DA) immobilized onto the modified electrode cut down the original ECL signal due to the quenching of DA toward ABEI (signal-off). Target ATP walker moved along the 3D DNA track, simultaneously releasing numerous DNA3, which was applied to displace S2-DA, resulting in the quenched ECL intensity recovery (signal-on). As a result, the biosensor showed a low limit of detection down to 0.5 nM (S/N = 3) and was successfully employed to determine ATP in human serum samples. Thus, the established biosensing strategy holds great potential for biochemical studies and clinical diagnosis.

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Funding

This work was funded by financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82002257, 81702083), the Natural Science Foundation Project of Chongqing (cstc2020jcyj-msxmX0190), the Science and Technology Plan Project of Yuzhong District of Chongqing (20170128), and Hospital-special Fund of Chengdu University of TCM (YYZX20180030).

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Author notes

  1. Li Li and Zheng Zhou contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing General Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, 400014, China

    Li Li

  2. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital, Chongqing, 404000, China

    Zheng Zhou

  3. Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China

    Xinmin Li, Dandan Li, Min Zhao, Changjin Liu, Haiping Wu, Wei Yang, Shijia Ding & Bo Shen

  4. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing, 400021, China

    Xinmin Li & Bo Shen

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  1. Li Li
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  2. Zheng Zhou
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  3. Xinmin Li
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Correspondence to Bo Shen.

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Li, L., Zhou, Z., Li, X. et al. An “off-on” electrochemiluminescence biosensor coupled with strand displacement-powered 3D micromolecule walking nanomachine for ultrasensitive detection of adenosine triphosphate. Microchim Acta 188, 237 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-021-04895-x

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