A novel electrochemical DNA biosensor for transgenic soybean detection based on triple signal amplification

Abstract A novel electrochemical DNA biosensor was developed and MON89788 of soybean transgenic gene sequence was detected based on a strategy of rolling circle amplification (RCA) and gold nanoparticle cube (AuNPC)-labeled multiple probes. First, the mercapto-modified capture DNA was immobilized on the surface of the Fe 3 O 4 @Au magnetic nanoparticles via an Au–S bond, and the capture DNA was opened and complementarily hybridized with the target DNA to form a double-stranded DNA. In the 10 × reaction buffer, Exonuclease III (ExoIII) specifically recognized and sheared the double-stranded DNA to release the target DNA, which led to the next round of reaction. Afterward, AuNP cube-loaded ssDNA (AuNPC/DNA) was added with the rolling circle reaction with the help of Phi29 DNA polymerase and T4 ligase. Finally, [Ru(NH 3 ) 6 ] 3+ was attracted directly by the anionic phosphate of ssDNA via electrostatic interaction. The determination was carried out by using chronocoulometry (CC), and the CC signal was recorded. The mass amount of DNA strands extended infinitely on the AuNPs cube and numerous [Ru(NH 3 ) 6 ] 3+ were absorbed, thus the detected signal was highly amplified. The corresponding CC signal showed a good linear relationship with the logarithm of the target DNA concentration in the range of 1 × 10 −16 to 1 × 10 −7  mol L −1 , with a detection limit of 4.5 × 10 −17  mol L −1 . Specific gene sequence of MON89788 in soybean samples was determined, and the recoveries ranged from 97.3% to 102.0%. This sensor is one of the most sensitive sensors for genetic sequence assessment at present. Moreover, it demonstrates good selectivity, stability, and reproducibility.