Microelectrode miRNA sensors enabled by enzymeless electrochemical signal amplification

Better detections of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) as disease biomarkers could advance diseases diagnosis and treatment. Current analysis methods or sensors for research and applications are challenged by the low concentrations and wide dynamic range (from aM to nM) of miRNAs in a physiological sample. Here, we report a one-step label-free electrochemical sensor comprising a triple-stem DNA-redox probe structure on a gold microelectrode. A new signal amplification mechanism without the need of a redox enzyme is introduced. The novel strategy overcomes the fundamental limitations of microelectrode DNA sensors that fail to generate detectable current, which is primarily due to the limited amount of redox probes in response to the target analyte binding. By employing a reductant, tris(2-carboxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride (TCEP) in the detection buffer solution, each redox molecule on the detection probe is cyclically oxidized at the electrode and reduced by the reductant; thus, the signal is amplified in situ during the detection period. The combined merits in the diagnosis power of cyclic voltammetry and the high sensitivity of pulse voltammetry enable parallel analysis for method validation and optimization previously inaccessible. As such, the detection limit of miRNA-122 was 0.1 fM via direct readout, with a wide detection range from sub fM to nM. The detection time is within minutes, which is a significant improvement over other macroscopic sensors and other relevant techniques such as quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The high selectivity of the developed sensors is demonstrated by the discrimination against two most similar family sequences: miR-122-3p present in serum and 2-mismatch synthetic RNA sequence. Interference such as nonspecific adsorption, a common concern in sensor development, is reduced to a negligible amount by adopting a multistep surface modification strategy. Importantly, unlike qRT-PCR, the microelectrochemical sensor offers direct absolute quantitative readout that is amenable to clinical and in-home point-of-care (POC) applications. The sensor design is flexible, capable of being tailored for detection of different miRNAs of interest. Combined with the fact that the sensor was constructed at microscale, the method can be generalized for high throughput detection of miRNA signatures as disease biomarkers.