A photoregulated split aptaswitch for small molecules with improved sensitivity

Abstract

Here we show the design of a photoregulated split aptaswitch (PSA) for the challenging small-molecule biorecognition and its sensing application. The PSA specifically binds with the target in a binary reaction, and can easily rule out false positive signals by azobenzene photoisomerization, exhibiting an approximately 50-fold improved sensitivity over a control assay.