Factors influencing the performance of G-quadruplex DNAzyme-based sensors

G-quadruplex DNAzymes are peroxidase-like complexes formed by nucleic acid G-quadruplexes and hemin. Compared with natural enzymes, G-quadruplex DNAzyme offers many advantages, thus making it a promising tool in the design of biosensors and chemical sensors. Many biosensors and chemical sensors based on G-quadruplex DNAzymes have been reported. A number of factors may affect the performance of G-quadruplex DNAzyme-based sensors. Here we focus on some aspects to be taken into account when designing a G-quadruplex DNAzyme-based sensor. These include the G-quadruplex-forming G-rich sequence, solution components, the reaction substrate, and enrichment strategy for G-quadruplex DNAzyme. We also provide an outlook for further research on G-quadruplex DNAzyme-based sensors.