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A peptide nucleic acid–regulated fluorescence resonance energy transfer DNA assay based on the use of carbon dots and gold nanoparticles

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Abstract

A convenient fluorometric method was developed for specific determination of DNA based on peptide nuclei acid (PNA)–regulated fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between carbon dots (CDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). In this system, CDs that display lake blue fluorescence with excitation/emission maxima at 345/445 nm were used as fluorometric reporter, while AuNPs were used as fluorescence nanoquencher. A neutral PNA probe, which is designed to recognize the target DNA, was used as a coagulant to control the dispersion and aggregation of AuNPs. Without DNA, PNA can induce immediate AuNP aggregation, thus leading to the recovery of the FRET-quenched fluorescence emission of CDs. However, the addition of the complementary target DNA can protect AuNPs from being aggregated due to the formation of DNA/PNA complexes, which subsequently produces a high fluorescence quenching efficiency of CDs by dispersed AuNPs. Under optimized conditions, quantitative evaluation of DNA was achieved in a linear range of 5–100 nM with a detection limit of 0.21 nM. This method exhibited an excellent specificity towards fully matched DNA. In addition, the application of this assay for sensitive determination of DNA in cell lysate demonstrates its potential for bioanalysis and biodetection.

A simple fluorometric biosensor for specific detection of DNA was developed based on peptide nuclei acid (PNA)–regulated fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between carbon dots (CDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).

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Funding

This work was supported by Ningbo Natural Science Foundation (2017C110020, 2018A610318, 2019C50039) and funds from Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, People’s Republic of China

    Tingting Gao

  2. Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, People’s Republic of China

    Tingting Gao, Shu Xing, Mengjia Xu, Pan Fu, Jiechen Yao, Xiaokang Zhang & Chao Zhao

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Mengjia Xu & Pan Fu

  4. College of Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315212, People’s Republic of China

    Yang Zhao

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  1. Tingting Gao
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Correspondence to Shu Xing, Yang Zhao or Chao Zhao.

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Gao, T., Xing, S., Xu, M. et al. A peptide nucleic acid–regulated fluorescence resonance energy transfer DNA assay based on the use of carbon dots and gold nanoparticles. Microchim Acta 187, 375 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-020-04357-w

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