Photocleavable DNA Nanotube-Based Dual-Amplified Resonance Rayleigh Scattering System for MicroRNA Detection Incorporating Molecular Computing-Cascaded Keypad Lock Functionality

Cascade molecular events in complex systems are of vital importance for enhancing molecular diagnosis and information processing. However, the conversion of a cascaded biosensing system into a multilayer encrypted molecular keypad lock remains a significant challenge in the development of molecular logic devices. In this study, we present a photocleavable DNA nanotube-based dual-amplified resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) system for detecting microRNA-126 (miR-126). The cascading dual-amplification biosensing system provides a multilayer-encrypted prototype with the functionality of a molecular computing cascade keypad lock. RRS signals were greatly amplified by using photocleavable DNA nanotubes and enzyme-assisted strand displacement amplification (SDA). In the presence of miR-126, enzyme-assisted SDA produced numerous identical nucleotide fragments as the target, which were then specifically attached to magnetic beads through the DNA nanotube by using a Y-shaped DNA scaffold. Upon ultraviolet irradiation, the DNA nanotube was released into the solution, resulting in an increase in the intensity of the RRS signal. This strategy demonstrated a low limit of detection (0.16 fM) and a wide dynamic range (1 fM to 1 nM) for miR-126. Impressively, the enzyme-assisted SDA offers a molecular computing model for generating the target pool, which serves as the input element for unlocking the system. By cascading the molecular computing process, we successfully constructed a molecular keypad lock with a multilevel authentication technique. The proposed system holds great potential for applications in molecular diagnosis and information security, indicating significant value in integrating molecular circuits for intelligent sensing.