Graphene oxide-based fluorescent "on/off" switch for visual bioassay using "molecular beacon"-hosted hoechst dyes

  • Min Zhang
  • , Huynh Nhu Le
  • , Bang Ce Ye*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this study, the fluorescence of Hoechst dyes is significantly lit up by addition of our designed MB probe, forming a complex of "molecular beacon"-hosted Hoechst dyes (HMB). Combined with this property, a novel graphene oxide (GO)-based fluorescent "on/off" switch was developed to visually follow bioassay utilizing HMB as signal indicators and GO as an excellent energy acceptor to efficiently quench the fluorescence of HMB in a label-easy format. We have demonstrated its application for label-easy fluorescence "turn on" detection of sequence-specific DNA and "turn off" detection of exonuclease with sensitivity and selectivity in a single step in homogeneous solution. Compared to traditional molecular beacons, the proposed design is cost-effective and simple to prepare without fluorescence labeling or chemical modification.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)8278-8282
Number of pages5
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume5
Issue number17
DOIs
StatePublished - 11 Sep 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Hoechst
  • biosensing
  • exonuclease
  • graphene
  • molecular beacon

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Graphene oxide-based fluorescent "on/off" switch for visual bioassay using "molecular beacon"-hosted hoechst dyes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this