Analyte-driven self-assembly of graphene oxide sheets onto hydroxycamptothecin-functionalized upconversion nanoparticles for the determination of type I topoisomerases in cell extracts.

Abstract

Type I topoisomerases (TOPOI), a potential diagnostic biomarker and a target for chemotherapeutic agents, play essential roles in DNA replication, transcription, chromosome segregation, and recombination. It is essential to develop analytical methods for accurate detection of TOPOI in biological fluids for early diagnosis of diseases. Here we show an assay for TOPOI on the basis of the target-induced self-assembly of graphene oxide (GO) sheets onto hydroxycamptothecin-functionalized upconversion nanoparticles (HCPT-UCNPs). The dipole-dipole coupling of HCPT-UCNPs (donor) and GO (acceptor) regulated by TOPOI enables Förster resonance energy transfer between the donor and the acceptor. Integration of minimal autofluorescence and highly specific affinity into the developed nanosensor allows reliable detection of TOPOI in the nanomolar range with the detection limit of 0.29nM. The detection of TOPOI in breast cancer cells with recoveries from 96.3 to 103.7% shows the availability of the proposed assay in complicated samples. Graphical abstract ᅟ.