Hybridization chain reaction for regulating surface capacitance of organic photoelectrochemical transistor toward sensitive miRNA detection

Ge Gao; Jin Hu; Zhen Li; Qin Xu; Cheng-Shuang Wang; Hui-Min Jia; Hong Zhou; Peng Lin; Wei-Wei Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.bios.2022.114224

Hybridization chain reaction for regulating surface capacitance of organic photoelectrochemical transistor toward sensitive miRNA detection

Biosens Bioelectron. 2022 Aug 1:209:114224. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114224. Epub 2022 Mar 26.

Authors

Ge Gao¹, Jin Hu², Zhen Li³, Qin Xu⁴, Cheng-Shuang Wang³, Hui-Min Jia⁵, Hong Zhou⁶, Peng Lin², Wei-Wei Zhao⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225002, China; State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
² Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials & Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
⁴ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225002, China. Electronic address: xuqin@yzu.edu.cn.
⁵ Key Laboratory for Micro-Nano Energy Storage and Conversion Materials of Henan Province, College of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Xuchang University, Xuchang, Henan, 461000, China. Electronic address: jhmxcu2015@163.com.
⁶ Shandong Key Laboratory of Biochemical Analysis, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China. Electronic address: zww@nju.edu.cn.

PMID: 35395586
DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114224

Abstract

Photon-enabled bioelectronics has long been pursued in modern electronics due to their non-contact, remote-control, and even self-powered function interfacing the biological world with semiconductor devices. The debuting organic photoelectrochemical transistor (OPECT) relies on the photovoltage generated by the semiconductors to modulate the channel conductance, which enables light-fueled operation at zero gate bias. Inspired by the insulating nature of macrobiomolecules and surface capacitance mechanism, herein we demonstrate the biological regulation of the surface capacitance towards new OPECT biodetection, which was exemplified by a CdS quantum dots/TiO₂ nanotubes photoanode accommodating hybridization chain reaction (HCR) amplification with the target of biomarker miRNA-17. Formation of the non-conducting DNA layer from the miRNA-17-oriented HCR could decrease the surface capacitance and increase the corresponding fractional potential drop, shifting the transfer curve horizontally to higher gate voltage and thus producing different drain currents. The OPECT biosensor exhibited a linear relationship with the miRNA-17 concentration on the logarithmic axis in the range from 1 pm. to 10 μm with a detection limit of 1 pm. This work not only represented a generic methodology of miRNA detection, but also provided a universal mechanism for the operation of advanced OPECT bioanalytics.

Keywords: Bioanalysis; Capacitance; Hybridization chain reaction; Organic electrochemical transistor; Photoelectrochemistry; miRNA.

MeSH terms

Biosensing Techniques* / methods
Electrochemical Techniques / methods
Limit of Detection
MicroRNAs* / genetics
Nucleic Acid Hybridization

Substances

MicroRNAs