Smart DNA Machine for Carcinoembryonic Antigen Detection by Exonuclease III-Assisted Target Recycling and DNA Walker Cascade Amplification

A synthetic DNA machine performs quasi-mechanical movements in response to external intervention, suggesting the promise of constructing sensitive and specific biosensors. Herein, a smart DNA walker biosensor for label-free detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is developed for the first time by a novel cascade amplification strategy of exonuclease (Exo) III-assisted target recycling amplification (ERA) and DNA walker. ERA as the first stage of amplification generates the walker DNA, while the autonomous traveling of the walker DNA on the substrate-modified silica microspheres as the second stage of amplification produces an ultrasensitive fluorescent signal with the help of N-methylmesoporphyrin IX (NMM). The DNA machine as a biosensor could be applied for transducing and quantifying signals from isothermal molecular amplifications, avoiding the complicated reporter elements and thermal cycling. The present biosensor achieves a detection limit of 1.2 pg·mL–1 within a linear range of 10 pg·mL–1 to 100 ng·mL–1 for CEA, along with a favorable specificity. The practical applicability of the biosensor is demonstrated by the detection of CEA in human serum with satisfactory results; thus, it shows great potential in clinical diagnosis.