Specific Response Assembly of 3D Space-Confined DNA Nanoaggregates for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of DNA Methyltransferase.

Rapid and sensitive detection of DNA adenine methyltransferase (Dam) activity is crucial for both research and clinical applications. Herein, we utilize two types of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) to specific response assemble into 3D space-confined DNA nanoaggregates that enable the rapid and sensitive detection of Dam activity. The SNAs feature 3D order DNA scaffolds that serve as cores for anchoring signal hairpin probes (S-HPs) and target hairpin probes (T-HPs).

Selective Activation of Cascade Assembly Amplification for DNA Methyltransferase Detection Using a Double-Loop Interlocked DNA Circuit.

Precise and reliable monitoring of DNA adenine methyltransferase (Dam) activity is essential for disease diagnosis and biological analysis. However, existing techniques for detecting Dam activity often rely on specific DNA recognition probes that are susceptible to DNA degradation and exhibit limited target sensitivity and specificity. In this study, we designed and engineered a stable and dynamic DNA nanodevice called the ouble-lop interlcked DNA cicuit (DOOR) that enables the sensitive and selective monitoring of Dam activity in complex biological environments.

Identification and Quantification of 5-Methylcytosine and 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine on Random DNA Sequences by a Nanoconfined Electrochemiluminescence Platform.

5-Methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) are two of the most abundant epigenetic marks in mammalian genomes, and it has been proven that these dual epigenetic marks give a more accurate prediction of recurrence and survival in cancer than the individual mark. However, due to the similar structure and low expression of 5mC and 5hmC, it is challenging to distinguish and quantify the two methylation modifications. Herein, we employed the ten-eleven translocation family dioxygenases (TET) to convert 5mC to 5hmC a specific labeling process, which realized the identification of the two marks based on a nanoconfined electrochemiluminescence (ECL) platform combined with the amplification strategy of a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA)-assisted CRISPR/Cas13a system.

Wireframe Orbit-Accelerated Bipedal DNA Walker for Electrochemiluminescence Detection of Methyltransferase Activity.

In spite of the DNA walkers executing the signal accumulation task in the process of moving along the predetermined paths, the enhancement of walking dynamics and walking path controllability are still challenging due to the unprogrammed arrangements of DNA orbits. Taking these dilemmas into account, a bipedal DNA walker was designed skillfully by the virtue of wireframe orbits assembled by DNA cubes in order, which improved the efficiency and the continuity of walking. It could be attributed to the fact that both the contact chance and the dynamic interaction between walking strands and designated orbits were beneficial to minimize the possibility of derailment and improve the accumulation of signal.