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Updated: Nov 16, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancements in DNA Nanosensors – Addressing Sensitivity and Selectivity Challenges in Molecular Detection
Published on: February 9, 2024
Nanosurface energy transfer indicating Exo III-propelled stochastic 3D DNA walkers for HIV DNA detection
Na Wang1, Yong Jian Jiang, Xu Zhang
1Key Laboratory of Luminescence Analysis and Molecular Sensing (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, P. R. China. licm1024@swu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
DNA-based nanomachines have aroused tremendous interest because of their potential applications in bioimaging, biocomputing, and diagnostic treatment. Herein, we constructed a novel exonuclease III-propelled and signal-amplified stochastic DNA walker that autonomously walked on a spherical particle-based 3D track through a burnt-bridge mechanism, during which nanosurface energy transfer (NSET) occurred between the fluorescent dye modified on hairpin DNA and the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). As a proof of concept, this stochastic DNA walker achieves prominent detection performance of HIV DNA in the range of 0.05-1.2 nM with a detection limit of 12.7 pM and satisfactory recovery in blood serum, showing high promise in biosensing applications with complicated media.
