Fluorescent DNA tetrahedral probe with catalytic hairpin self-assembly reaction for imaging of miR-21 and miR-155 in living cells

• Published in: Mikrochimica acta (1966) 2024-08, Vol.191 (8), p.462, Article 462
• Main Authors: Wang, Shan, Guang, Jiejie, Gao, Yahui, Fan, Bingyuan, Liang, Yan, Pan, Jinru, Li, Li, Meng, Wei, Hu, Fang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Catalysis; Cells (biology); Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical compounds; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Diagnosis; DNA - chemistry; DNA Probes - chemistry; Fluorescence; Fluorescent Dyes - chemistry; HeLa Cells; Humans; Inverted Repeat Sequences; Limit of Detection; Microengineering; MicroRNAs - analysis; Nanochemistry; Nanotechnology; Optical Imaging; Original Paper; Self-assembly; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Target detection; Tetrahedra; Tumors
• ISSN: 0026-3672; 1436-5073; 1436-5073
• DOI: 10.1007/s00604-024-06529-4

A CHA-based fluorescent DNA tetrahedral probe (FDTp) has been designed to detect the microRNAs miR-21 and miR-155 sensitively and specifically in living cells. The design consisted of functional elements (H1, H2, and Protector) connected to a DNA tetrahedron modified with two pairs of fluorophores and quenching groups. In the presence of miR-21, the chain displacement effect was triggered and Cy3 fluorescence was emitted. In the presence of miR-155, the signal of the catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) between H1 and H2 on FDTp was amplified, making the fluorescence of FAM sensitive to miR-155. Using this method, the detection limit for miR-155 was 5 pM. The FDTp successfully imaged miR-21 and miR-155 in living cells and distinguished a variety of cell lines based on their expression levels of miR-21 and miR-155. The detection and imaging of dual targets in this design ensured the accuracy of tumor diagnosis and provided a new method for early tumor diagnosis. Graphical abstract