A label-free colorimetric assay for detection of c-Myc mRNA based on peptide nucleic acid and silver nanoparticles

A label-free colorimetric protocol based on peptide nucleic acid/silver nanoparticles (PNA/AgNPs) has been initially proposed for specific recognition of mRNA. Making use of the controlled silver nanoparticles aggregation/dispersion by PNA/PNA–RNA complex, proto-oncogene c-Myc mRNA detection can be achieved. Moreover, the PNA/AgNPs platform can undergo color change in response to target c-Myc mRNA with single-base-mismatch sensitivity, which could further help in visually identify single nucleotide differences in target genes.