Issue 5, 2021

SYBR Green I promotes melamine binding to poly-thymine DNA and FRET-based ratiometric sensing

Abstract

Melamine binding to polythymine (poly-T) DNA has been widely used to develop biosensors for the detection of melamine. In this work, SYBR Green I (SGI) was used to stain the binding reaction, and using DNA melting experiments, it was confirmed that poly-T DNA formed intramolecular binding complexes to bind multiple melamine molecules. In addition, while this system was insensitive to ionic strength, longer DNA and lower pH favored the binding of melamine. A fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) sensor was designed by labeling a TAMRA and a Cy5 fluorophore on the two ends of T30 DNA, respectively. In the presence of SGI, FRET-based ratiometric detection was achieved with an apparent Kd of 85 μM and a limit of detection of 10.7 μM melamine. Without SGI, the sensitivity of detection was decreased by 47-fold. Interference from Hg2+ can be masked by adding EDTA. Detection of melamine in milk was achieved with recovery rates from 87.0 to 101.7%. This study has provided both basic biochemical insights and a ratiometric sensor for highly sensitive and robust detection of melamine.

Graphical abstract: SYBR Green I promotes melamine binding to poly-thymine DNA and FRET-based ratiometric sensing

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Jan 2021
Accepted
09 Feb 2021
First published
09 Feb 2021

Analyst, 2021,146, 1642-1649

SYBR Green I promotes melamine binding to poly-thymine DNA and FRET-based ratiometric sensing

F. He, Y. Shen and J. Liu, Analyst, 2021, 146, 1642 DOI: 10.1039/D1AN00102G

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