G-quadruplex DNA biosensor for sensitive visible detection of genetically modified food

In this paper, a novel label-free G-quadruplex DNAzyme sensor has been proposed for colorimetric identification of GMO using CaMV 35S promoter sequence as the target. The binary probes can fold into G-quadruplex structure in the presence of DNA-T (Target DNA) and then combine with hemin to form a DNAzyme resembling horseradish peroxidase. The detection system consists of two G-rich probes with 2:2 split mode by using the absorbance and color of ABTS2− as signal reporter. Upon the addition of a target sequence, two probes both hybridize with target and then their G-rich sequences combine to form a G-quadruplex DNAzyme, and the DNAzyme can catalyze the reaction of ABTS2− with H2O2. Then the linear range is from 0.05 to 0.5 μM while detection limit is 5 nM. These results demonstrate that the proposed G-quadruplex DNAzyme method could be used as a simple, sensitive and cost-effective approach for assays of GMO.