Intraparticle and Interparticle Transferable DNA Walker Supported by DNA Micelles for Rapid Detection of MicroRNA

Synthetic DNA walkers are artificially designed DNA self-assemblies with the capability of performing quasi-mechanical movement at the micro/nanoscale and have shown extensive promise in biosensing, intracellular imaging, and drug delivery. However, DNA walkers are usually constructed by covalently or coordinately binding DNA strands specifically to hard surfaces, thereby greatly limiting their movement efficiency. Herein, we report an intraparticle and interparticle transferable DNA walker (dynamic micelle-supported DNA walker, DM-walker) constructed by immobilizing walking tracks and walking arms onto the corona of DNA micelles according to the principle of Watson–Crick base pairing. The DNAzyme-powered walking arm can drive the intraparticle and interparticle movements of the DM-walker due to the fact that the dynamic structure of the DNA micelle helps overcome the spatial barrier between the arms and tracks in the system, resulting in high walking efficiency. Moreover, the whole DM-walker can be constructed by self-assembly, getting rid of the tedious process and low efficiency of fixing DNA strands on hard surfaces. Taking miRNA-10b as a model target, the DM-walker demonstrates high walking efficiency (reaction duration of 20 min) and high sensitivity (LOD of 87 pM). The proposed DM-walker provides an avenue to develop novel DNA walkers on dynamic interfaces and holds great potential in clinical diagnosis.