Electrochemical detection of aqueous Ag+ based on Ag+-assisted ligation reaction

In this work, a novel strategy to fabricate a highly sensitive and selective biosensor for the detection of Ag(+) is proposed. Two DNA probes are designed and modified on a gold electrode surface by gold-sulfur chemistry and hybridization. In the presence of Ag(+), cytosine-Ag(+)-cytosine composite forms and facilitates the ligation event on the electrode surface, which can block the release of electrochemical signals labeled on one of the two DNA probes during denaturation process. Ag(+) can be sensitively detected with the detection limit of 0.1 nM, which is much lower than the toxicity level defined by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This biosensor can easily distinguish Ag(+) from other interfering ions and the performances in real water samples are also satisfactory. Moreover, the two DNA probes are designed to contain the recognition sequences of a nicking endonuclease, and the ligated DNA can thus be cleaved at the original site. Therefore, the electrode can be regenerated, which allows the biosensor to be reused for additional tests.