Multiplexed aptasensing of food contaminants by using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-produced primer-triggered rolling circle amplification: application to the colorimetric determination of enrofloxacin, lead (II), Escherichia coli O157:H7 and tropomyosin

A colorimetric assay is described for simultaneous detection of multiple analytes related to food safety. It is based on the use of a sandwich aptasensor and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) which produces a primer for subsequent rolling circle amplification (RCA). Two split aptamer fragments (Apt1 and Apt2) are firstly immobilized, Apt1 on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and Apt2 on magnetic beads (MBs). They are then used in a sandwich aptasensor. In the presence of analyte, two probes could specifically recognize target and form a ternary assembly, and the magnetic beads also act to separate rapidly and enrich the target. Then, the extension of template-free DNA is triggered by TdT at the exposed 3'-hydroxy terminals of Apt1. This produces polyA sequences that serve as primers for subsequent RCA. The product of RCA is hybridized with a complementary horse radish peroxidase (HRP) DNA probe. HRP catalyzes the H2O2-mediated oxidation of tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and forms a blue chromogenic product. After magnetic separation, the absorption values of the blue product in the supernatant are measured at a wavelength of 600 nm. Based on this dual amplification mechanism, the assay was applied to multiplexed determination of enrofloxacin (ENR), lead(II), Escherichia coli O157:H7 and tropomyosin. Exemplarily, ENR is detectable at concentrations down to 2.5 pg mL-1 with a linear range that extends from 1 pg mL-1 to 1 μg·mL-1. The assay was validated by analysis of spiked fish samples. Recoveries range between 87.5 and 92.1%. Graphical abstractSchematic representation of a TdT-RCA based aptasensor for multiple analytes related to food safety. It makes use of sandwich aptasensors and TdT-produced universal primer-triggered RCA reaction. dATP: deoxyadenosine triphosphate, TdT: Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase, RCA: rolling circle amplification, TMB: 3,3',5,5'-Tetramethylbenzidine.