Highly sensitive and simultaneous detection of microRNAs in serum using stir-bar assisted magnetic DNA nanospheres-encoded probes

Abstract There are critical interests in the detection of microRNA (miRNA) because it can be a blood-borne biomarker, but analytical strategies are still limited by its small size, high sequence homology among family members and low abundance. In this work, three-dimensional magnetic DNA nanospheres were synthesized and immobilized on a gold stir-bar as encoded probes for miRNA capture and signal amplification. Electrochemical tags-labeled DNAs were immobilized on gold coated magnetic nanospheres via a hyperbranched hybridization chain reaction (HHCR). Subsequently, the magnetic DNA nanospheres were immobilized on the gold stir-bar as encoded probes. Target miRNAs were captured on the surface of the stir-bar by replacing the magnetic DNA nanospheres-encoded probes, and the probes were magnetically enriched for highly sensitive and selective electrochemical detection. The gold stir-bar assisted magnetic DNA nanospheres-encoded probes possess dual functions: They are as a nanocarrier to increase the loading amounts of HHCR products, and they are also a platform for efficient electrochemical signal amplification via magnetic enrichment. The method was successfully applied for the detection of miRNA21 and miRNA155 in a wide linear range of 5 fM to 2 nM, and with detection limits of 1.5 fM and 1.8 fM, respectively. The preliminary application of the method suggests that it has great potential in the detection of miRNAs in serum samples.