An Enzyme-Activatable Engineered DNAzyme Sensor for Cell-Selective Imaging of Metal Ions

Cell-selective imaging of metal ions was achieved by Lele Li et al. in their Communication (DOI: 10.1002/anie.202015979) by using an enzyme-activatable DNAzyme sensor technology. In the picture, the sensing activity is silent in normal cells and can be restored by an overexpressed enzyme in cancer cells through site-specific cleavage. The DNAzyme sensor allowed to distinguish metal-ion signals in tumor cells from healthy cells both in vitro and in vivo.

Automated summary

Li et al. achieved cell-selective imaging of metal ions using an enzyme-activatable DNAzyme sensor technology, allowing differentiation of metal-ion signals in tumor cells from healthy cells both in vitro and in vivo.