title: Assembling DNA through affinity binding to achieve ultrasensitive protein detection.
abstract: Recent advances in DNA assembly and affinity binding have enabled exciting developments of nanosensors and ultrasensitive assays for specific proteins. These sensors and assays share three main attractive features: 1) the detection of proteins can be accomplished by the detection of amplifiable DNA, thereby dramatically enhancing the sensitivity; 2) assembly of DNA is triggered by affinity binding of two or more probes to a single target molecule, thereby resulting in increased specificity; and 3) the assay is conducted in solution with no need for separation, thus making the assay attractive for potential point-of-care applications. We illustrate here the principle of assembling DNA through affinity binding, and we highlight novel applications to the detection of proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G3 (Canada) http://www.ualberta.ca/∼xcle.
authors.forename: Hongquan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dever
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xing-Fang
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: X Chris
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Le
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D011506:Proteins; D004247:DNA
keywords: DNA assembly; affinity binding; analytical methods; biosensors; protein detection