Visual detection of Fusarium temperatum by using CRISPR-Cas12a empowered LAMP assay coupled with AuNPs-based colorimetric reaction

Abstract

Fusarium temperatum (F. temperatum) causes maize stalk rot disease, reducing grain yield and producing multiple harmful mycotoxins that threaten food safety and quality. However, current detection methods are limited by the requirement of well-trained personnel, complicated operations and expensive instruments. To address this challenge, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-based colorimetric assay using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) coupled with CRISPR-Cas12a (Au-CRISPR) was tested for F. temperatum detection. The assay utilizes DNA-modified AuNPs as a colorimetric probe and the results can be readily observed by the naked eye. After optimization, the method can specifically detect as low as 100 copies/μL of target DNA or 10−8 ng/μL of extracted DNA from F. temperatum. The detection platform allows high-throughput testing by integrating microtiter plates and microplate reader. Furthermore, a portable smartphone-based device was developed to realize point of care (POC) detection of F. temperatum in resource-limited settings. This simple, inexpensive and sensitive detection platform has great potential for the applications in field detection.