Simultaneous Discrimination of Single-Base Mismatch and Full Match Using a Label-Free Single-Molecule Strategy

Identification of single-base mismatches has found wide applications in disease diagnosis, pharmacogenetics, and population genetics. However, there is still a great challenge in the simultaneous discrimination of single-base mismatch and full match. Combined with a nanopore electrochemical sensor, a shared-stem structure of molecular beacon was designed that did not need the labeling, but achieved an enhanced signal-to-background ratio of ∼10⁴, high thermodynamic stability to bind with target sequences, and a fast hybridization rate. Fully matched and single-base mismatched sequences were simultaneously discriminated at the single-molecule level, which is expected to have potential applications ranging from the quick detection, early clinical diagnostics to point-of-care research.