Monitoring tetracycline through a solid-state nanopore sensor

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Antibiotics are significant environmental contaminants due to widespread human and veterinary use.
• Tetracycline detection is crucial for environmental monitoring and public health.
• Existing detection methods may lack sensitivity or single-molecule resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel solid-state nanopore sensing method for Tetracycline detection.
• To utilize Tet-off and Tet-on systems for sensitive and specific Tetracycline quantification.
• To demonstrate single-molecule detection and quantification of Tetracycline in environmental samples.

Main Methods:

• A solid-state nanopore sensor with 8-9 nm diameter pores was fabricated.
• The sensor utilizes the interaction between reverse tetracycline-controlled trans-activator (rtTA) and Tetracycline Responsive Element (TRE) triggered by Tetracycline.
• Complex formation and passage through the nanopore were measured to quantify Tetracycline concentrations.

Main Results:

• The nanopore sensor successfully detected Tetracycline in the concentration range of 2 ng/mL to 2000 ng/mL.
• Tetracycline concentrations were categorized into three zones: slow growth (0-39.5 ng/mL), rapid growth (39.5-529.7 ng/mL), and saturated (>529.7 ng/mL) based on a Logistic model.
• The method achieved single-molecule level detection and quantification, surpassing previous techniques in resolution.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanopore sensor provides a sensitive and accurate method for detecting Tetracycline as an environmental contaminant.
• This technology enables single-molecule analysis, offering new possibilities for environmental monitoring of antibiotics.
• The Tet-off and Tet-on system integrated with nanopore sensing presents a promising platform for detecting various molecular targets.