A simple biosensor based on the cationic
polymers and nuclease-assisted
cyclic amplification has been constructed for the one-pot multiple
detections of DNA and microRNA. In this work, we designed and synthesized
a broad-spectrum polymer quencher, diazobenzene-containing poly(p-phenylethynylene) (azo-PPE(+)), to efficiently quench
multiple fluorophores. Based on this concept, we prepared three DNA
probes modified with three fluorophores (FAM, TAMRA, and Cy5), which
entirely complement the target nucleic acids. In the presence of the
target nucleic acid, the DNA probe hybridizes with the target and
forms a duplex chain that is subsequently cleaved by nuclease into
oligonucleotide fragments. Meanwhile, the target nucleic acid is released
and rehybridized with other DNA probes, resulting in the cyclic degradation
of the DNA probe. Due to the weak electrostatic interaction between
the oligonucleotide fragment and azo-PPE(+), the fluorescence signal
is restored and the target could be specifically detected. The combination
of nuclease-assisted cyclic amplification and azo-PPE(+) enables a
one-pot multiple nucleic acid detection with high sensitivity and
specificity, even for the single-base-mismatched target. Moreover,
the biosensor performs well in real biological samples and can distinguish
miRNA expression in diverse cell lines, demonstrating its potential
clinical diagnostic prospects.
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