Rational engineering the DNA tetrahedrons of dual wavelength ratiometric electrochemiluminescence biosensor for high efficient detection of SARS-CoV-2 RdRp gene by using entropy-driven and bipedal DNA walker amplification strategy

Fast and effective detection of epidemics is the key to preventing the spread of diseases. In this work, we constructed a dual-wavelength ratiometric electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor based on entropy-driven and bipedal DNA walker cycle amplification strategies for detection of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The entropy-driven cyclic amplification reaction was started by the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp gene to generate a bandage. The bandage could combine with two other single-stranded S1 and S2 to form a bipedal DNA walker to create the following cycle reaction. After the bipedal DNA walker completed the walking process, the hairpin structures at the top of the DNA tetrahedrons (TDNAs) were removed. Subsequently, the PEI-Ru@Ti3C2@AuNPs-S7 probes were used to combine with the excised hairpin part of TDNAs on the surface of Au-g-C3N4, and the signal change was realized employing electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET). By combining entropy-driven and DNA walker cycle amplification strategy, the ratiometric ECL biosensor exhibited a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 7.8 aM for the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp gene. As a result, detecting the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp gene in human serum still possessed high recovery so that the dual-wavelength ratiometer biosensor could be used in early clinical diagnosis.