Label-free catalytic and molecular beacon containing an abasic site for sensitive fluorescent detection of small inorganic and organic molecules.

ABSTRACT: In this work, two methods with complementary features, catalytic and molecular beacon (CAMB) and label-free fluorescent sensors using an abasic site, have been combined into new label-free CAMB sensors that possess advantages of each method. The label-free method using a dSpacer-containing molecular beacon makes CAMB more cost-effective and less interfering with the catalytic activity, while CAMB allows the label-free method to use true catalytic turnovers for signal amplifications, resulting in a new label-free CAMB sensor for Pb(2+) ion, with a detection limit of 3.8 nM while maintaining the same selectivity. Furthermore, by using CAMB to overcome the label-free method's limitation of requiring excess enzyme strands, a new label-free CAMB sensor using aptazyme is also designed to detect adenosine down to 1.4 ?M, with excellent selectivity over other nucleosides.

SUBMITTER: Song P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3310249 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature