Principal component analysis-assisted zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks/DNA biosensor for the analysis of various phosphates

Considering the diversity of phosphates and their pivotal roles in physiological processes, detection of various phosphates related to their metabolism is urgent but challenging. Herein, we design a biosensor with zirconium-based MOFs (Zr-MOFs) and fluorophore-modified single-stranded DNA (F-ssDNA) for the analysis of phosphates. Relying on the interaction between Zr clusters and phosphate backbone, F-ssDNA is anchored on the surface of Zr-MOFs, inducing fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and subsequently quenching the fluorescence of F-ssDNA. Meanwhile, phosphates with different numbers of phosphate groups, molecular structures and coordination environments are able to adjust the FRET between Zr-MOFs and F-ssDNA via a site-occupying effect, recovering the fluorescence of F-ssDNA in distinct cases, which may result in diverse fluorescence signals. Consequently, seventeen phosphates and four phosphate mixtures are discriminated with the assistance of principal component analysis. These results provide new insight into the application of Zr-MOFs and broaden the path for the development of analytical methods for phosphates.