A rolling circle amplification-based DNAzyme walker against intracellular degradation for imaging tumor cells' microRNA

We present a novel DNA molecular machine (RCA-D-Walker) that integrates a DNAzyme-based molecular beacon with RCA-based vectors for miRNA imaging in tumor cells. It can accurately target tumor cells through the sgc8 aptamer. The target miRNA can restore the DNAzyme's ability to cleave the substrate, which in turn produces an amplified fluorescent signal. The RCA-D-Walker exhibits enhanced tumor cell targeting, improved cell permeability, and greater resistance to nuclease degradation. Utilizing this strategy, we achieved accurate and efficient imaging of miRNA-21 in tumor cells.