Electrochemiluminescence biosensor based on a 3D DNA walking nanomachine with a powerful payload capacity

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical Vol. 330; p. 129337
• Main Authors: Jiang, Jie, Zhang, Pu, Chai, Ya-qin, Yuan, Ruo, Peng, Kan-fu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01-03-2021; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Amplification; Assaying; Backbone; Biomarkers; Biosensor; Biosensors; Chains; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA nanotube; DNA walking nanomachine; Electrochemiluminescence; Emitters; Linear arrays; Nanotubes; Payload capacity; Stators; DNA walking nanomachine; Payload capacity; Electrochemiluminescence; DNA nanotube; Biosensor
• ISSN: 0925-4005; 1873-3077
• DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2020.129337

•The three-dimensional (3D) DNA nanotube was employed to service as the track of DNA nanomachine..•This 3D DNA walking nanomachine based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor has a powerful payload capacity compared to that of existing DNA one-dimensional and two-dimensional walking nanomachine based ECL biosensors.•By only using Watson-Crick base pairing, this 3D DNA walking nanomachine is convenient to be modified on DNA modified planar surface compared to the existing metal-particles based 3D DNA machines for constructing field-based biosensor.
Herein, we constructed a three-dimensional (3D) DNA walking nanomachine, just built from Watson–Crick base pairing, which had large payload capacity by using a functionalized DNA nanotube (NT) as track and was further applied to sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) assay of biomarker. The NT as 3D track was composed of a long backbone chain, a triangular fixation unit (UB) and abundant triangular rung units (UA) that arranged along the backbone. Every UA with three footholds could immobilize three ECL emitter (ABEI) labeled-DNA-stators, so this track exhibited a powerful payload capacity on a planar surface compared to that of the existing 1D and 2D DNA walking nanomachines due to the formation of a linear array from UA. Moreover, an amplification strategy made tiny amounts of HIV DNA transform into numerous walkers, which then hybridized with DNA-stator chains. In the presence of Mg2+, the DNA walker initiated moving along the 3D nanotube track, causing a reduce of ECL signal intensity owing to the release of ABEI from the biosensing surface to achieve the assay for HIV DNA with a detection limit of 0.82 fM. Such a strategy and subsequent application for biosensing develop an effective signal amplification 3D DNA walking nanomachine for sensing assay.