Scanning single-molecule counting system for Eprobe with highly simple and effective approach

PLoS One. 2020 Dec 15;15(12):e0243319. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243319. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Here, we report a rapid and ultra-sensitive detection technique for fluorescent molecules called scanning single molecular counting (SSMC). The method uses a fluorescence-based digital measurement system to count single molecules in a solution. In this technique, noise is reduced by conforming the signal shape to the intensity distribution of the excitation light via a circular scan of the confocal region. This simple technique allows the fluorescent molecules to freely diffuse into the solution through the confocal region and be counted one by one and does not require statistical analysis. Using this technique, 28 to 62 aM fluorescent dye was detected through measurement for 600 s. Furthermore, we achieved a good signal-to-noise ratio (S/N = 2326) under the condition of 100 pM target nucleic acid by only mixing a hybridization-sensitive fluorescent probe, called Eprobe, into the target oligonucleotide solution. Combination of SSMC and Eprobe provides a simple, rapid, amplification-free, and high-sensitive target nucleic acid detection system. This method is promising for future applications to detect particularly difficult to design primers for amplification as miRNAs and other short oligo nucleotide biomarkers by only hybridization with high sensitivity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Fluorescence
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry*
  • MicroRNAs / analysis*
  • MicroRNAs / chemistry
  • Nucleic Acid Hybridization
  • Oligonucleotides / chemistry*

Substances

  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • MicroRNAs
  • Oligonucleotides

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a research grant from RIKEN and Olympus Corporation under RIKEN Integrated Collaborative Research Program with Industry to SK, a research grant from MEXT to the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science to KU, MEXT to RIKEN Preventive Medicine and Diagnosis Innovation Program to YH. Olympus Corporation also provided funding for the study in the form of salaries for authors TT, T. Hanashi, MY, HN, and SK. Funding was also provided by K.K. DNAFORM, a company holding commercial rights to Eprobe technology, in the form of salaries for authors YM and YK. These funders did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.