Highly Sensitive and Quantitative Detection of microRNA-21 in Cells Using Bipedal DNA Walker-Based Ratiometric Fluorescent Sensor.

ABSTRACT: Accurate detection of low-abundance microRNA (miRNA) as tumor biomarkers in body fluids and cells is critical due to its strong association with tumor initiation, progression, invasion, and metastasis. DNA walkers enable signal amplification through cyclic enzymatic reactions, offering powerful strategies for the highly sensitive detection of low-abundance miRNAs. However, fluctuations in the cellular microenvironment─such as variations in ion concentration, enzyme activity, temperature, and pH across subcellular compartments─can disrupt amplification efficiency and compromise detection accuracy. To address this challenge, we developed a symmetric bipedal DNA walker design in which one "leg" generates a detection signal while the other "reference leg" synchronously amplifies a dynamic (env

SUBMITTER: Wei W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12613148 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature