title: Graphene fluorescence resonance energy transfer aptasensor for the thrombin detection.
abstract: Combining nanomaterials and biomolecule recognition units is promising in developing novel clinic diagnostic and protein analysis techniques. In this work, a highly sensitive and specific fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) aptasensor for thrombin detection is developed based on the dye labeled aptamer assembled graphene. Due to the noncovalent assembly between aptamer and graphene, fluorescence quenching of the dye takes place because of FRET. The addition of thrombin leads to the fluorescence recovery due to the formation of quadruplex-thrombin complexes which have weak affinity to graphene and keep the dyes away from graphene surface. Because of the high fluorescence quenching efficiency, unique structure, and electronic properties of graphene, the graphene aptasensor exhibits extraordinarily high sensitivity and excellent specificity in both buffer and blood serum. A detection limit as low as 31.3 pM is obtained based on the graphene FRET aptasensor, which is two orders magnitude lower than those of fluorescent sensors based on carbon nanotubes. The excellent performance of FRET aptasensor based on graphene will also be ascribed to the unique structure and electronic properties of graphene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Haixin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Longhua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jianhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Jinghong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D057230:Limit of Detection; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013499:Surface Properties; D013917:Thrombin / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D002244:Carbon; D013917:Thrombin