Target-triggered cascade signal amplification in nanochannels: An ingenious strategy for ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical DNA bioanalysis

Abstract

Artificial solid-state nanochannels have aroused intense interests in biosensors and bioelectronics because of their special architectures. Herein, we pioneered an ingenious approach of target-triggered cascade signal amplification in porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanochannels for ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) DNA bioanalysis. In the design, AAO nanochannels were modified initially with capture DNA (cDNA) and then incorporated with a photoelectrode, yielding the desired architecture of highly ordered nanoarrays on top of the signal transducer. For target DNA (tDNA) probing, exonuclease III (Exo-III) mediated target recycling (ETR) was first activated to generate plenty of output DNA (oDNA) fragments. After oDNA and the conjugate of Au-labeled probe DNA (Au-pDNA) were anchored within the nanochannels via DNA hybridization, in-situ synthesis of Ag shells on tethered Au nanoparticles was conducted. The resulting large-sized Au@Ag core-shell nanostructure within the nanochannels would cause conspicuous blocking effect to hinder the transportation of electrons accessing the photoelectrode. Since the signal inhibition was directly related to tDNA concentration, an innovative nanochannels PEC DNA assay was exploited and qualified for ultrasensitive detection. The anti-interference ability of this platform was also emphasized by the split AAO membrane for biological incubation without participation of the photoelectrode. This featured nanochannels PEC strategy with cascade amplification launched a novel detecting platform for trace levels of DNA, and it could spark more inspiration for a follow-up exploration of other smart nanochannels PEC bioassays.