An enzyme-free three-dimensional DNA walker powered by catalytic hairpin assembly for H5N1 DNA ratiometric detection

Abstract The reliable and quantitative detection of virus DNA is highly desirable for the early diagnosis and clinical treatment of diseases. In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) DNA walker based on a non-enzyme-mediated nucleic acid cascade amplification reaction was constructed for the ratiometric detection of H5N1 DNA. When the DNA walker was developed by the surface modification of aminated silica microsphere (SiO2-NH2) with H1 hairpin structures were activated in the presence of target DNA, the fluorescence of the H1-conjugated Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorophore (495 nm) was turned on, while the fluorescence of 2-aminopurine (2-AP) (363 nm) conjugated to the H2 hairpin remained unchanged. This strategy combines DNA walker powered by catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) reaction with proportional fluorescence signal output methods, which can effectively reduce the risk of generating false-positive signals. The developed DNA walker demonstrated excellent analytical sensitivity and specificity, with a detection limit of 60 pM. The DNA walker was also capable of selectively detecting H5N1 DNA in clinical blood serum samples, which demonstrated its potential for use in various clinical applications.