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Liquid crystal-based optical aptasensor for the sensitive and selective detection of Gram-negative bacteria

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Abstract

The sensitive and differential detection of Gram-negative bacteria is essential in food processing, environmental monitoring, and the daily chemical industry. Herein, we propose and validate a liquid crystal (LC)-based aptasensor for the ultrasensitive detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli), a model of Gram-negative bacteria. The nematic liquid crystal of 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) molecules can be orderly or disorderly arranged at the LC-aqueous interface via different stimuli, causing changes in optical texture due to birefringence. Bright schlieren texture is observed when a mixture solution of aptamer and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) is dripped onto the segmented LC films on a copper mesh. The specific binding of aptamers with target bacteria biomarkers liberates the CTAB molecules, which then self-assemble at the LC-aqueous interface to induce the vertical alignment of LCs. An optical transition from bright to dark is therefore achieved via the LC molecular orientation and serves as an aptasensor. Given the prominent affinity and specificity of the aptamer, the established sensitive and selective E. coli assay shows an ultralow detection limit of 27 cfu/mL. The prepared aptasensor can also be applied for the sensitive and selective determination of E. coli in fruit juice, soft drink, and cosmetic products, and shows great promise for the on-site detection of Gram-negative bacteria with high sensitivity and specificity for environmental monitoring, food safety assessment, and household chemical inspection.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Guangdong Province Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2021A1515110236), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (62004070), the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (2019050001, 202201010248), the Youth Innovation Project of Guangdong Education Department (2020KQNCX018), the Young Scholar Foundation of South China Normal University (21KJ08), and the “Climbing Program” Special Funds of Guangdong Province (pdjh2022b0133). This project was also partially supported by the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province (2020B1212060067).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nanophotonic Functional Materials and Devices, School of Information and Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Mengjun Liu, Minmin Zhang, Na Li & Lingling Shui

  2. Joint Laboratory of Optofluidic Technology and Systems, National Center for International Research on Green Optoelectronics, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Jiamei Chen, Ruizhi Yang, Zhaofan Huang, Zhenping Liu & Lingling Shui

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  1. Mengjun Liu
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  2. Minmin Zhang
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  3. Jiamei Chen
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  4. Ruizhi Yang
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  5. Zhaofan Huang
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  6. Zhenping Liu
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  7. Na Li
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  8. Lingling Shui
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Correspondence to Minmin Zhang or Lingling Shui.

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Supporting information The supporting information is available online at http://chem.scichina.com and http://link.springer.com/journal/11426. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

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Liu, M., Zhang, M., Chen, J. et al. Liquid crystal-based optical aptasensor for the sensitive and selective detection of Gram-negative bacteria. Sci. China Chem. 65, 2023–2030 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-022-1336-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-022-1336-x

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