Tetrahedral structure supported two stages DSN-assisted amplification strategy for sensitive detection of lung cancer related MicroRNA

MicroRNA (miRNA) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of cancer developments and could potentially work as an important biomarker candidate for the early-diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of lung cancer. Accurate and sensitive quantification of miRNA extracted from clinical samples in a stable and label-free way remain a huge challenge. Herein, we propose here a novel fluorescence assay for accurate analysis of miRNA via duplex specific nuclease (DSN) signal amplification. Highlights of the methods could be depicted as: i) a favorable detection sensitivity through the DSN enzyme based signal amplification; ii) fluorescence signal generation in a label-free way based on MG/G-quadruplex complex; iii) a stable signal generation even in complicated experimental conditions based on the tetrahedral structure. Eventually, we believe that this proposed sensitive and specific assay has great potential as a miRNA quantification method for use in biomedical research and clinical diagnosis.

Automated summary

miRNA plays a crucial role in cancer development, with challenges in accurate extraction from clinical samples. A novel fluorescence assay proposed utilizes DSN signal amplification for accurate analysis of miRNA, offering stable, sensitive, and label-free advantages.