Binding-Induced Molecular Amplifier as a Universal Detection Platform for Biomolecules and Biomolecular Interaction

Techniques that detect multiple classes of biomolecules and biomolecular interactions from biological or patient samples are highly desirable for applications ranging from accurate disease diagnosis to deciphering comprehensive biological processes. Because of the large variations in target recognition, signal transduction, and instrumentation, it is technically challenging to generalize a single detection method to a diverse range of analytical targets. Herein, we introduce a binding-induced molecular amplifier (BIMA) strategy that translates a variety of biomolecules and biomolecular interactions into unified predesigned DNA barcode in homogeneous solutions. On the basis of a three-dimensional DNA-walking mechanism, BIMA not only translates various targets into a unified barcode but also amplifies the translation by generating multiple barcode molecules in response to a single input target molecule. Using this strategy, we have successfully expanded the uses of a simple toehold-mediated strand displacement beacon for the sensitive detection of multiple classes of targets, including nucleic acids, proteins, and protein-protein interactions.