A graphene oxide-based sensing platform for the label-free assay of DNA sequence and exonuclease activity via long range resonance energy transfer.

Graphene oxide (GO) was introduced as an efficient quencher for label-free and sensitive detection of DNA. Probe DNA (pDNA) was mixed with ethidium bromide (EB) and graphene oxide (GO). The interaction between EB and GO led to the fluorescent quenching. Upon the recognition of the target, EB was intercalated into duplex DNA and kept away from GO, which significantly hindered the long range resonance energy transfer (LrRET) from EB to GO and, thus, increased the fluorescence of EB. The changes in fluorescent intensity produced a novel method for sensitivity, and specificity detection of the target. Based on the structure-switching of aptamers, this strategy could be conveniently extended for detection of other biomolecules, which had been demonstrated by the detection of exonuclease activity.