MnO₂ nanosheet-mediated ratiometric fluorescence biosensor for MicroRNA detection and imaging in living cells

MicroRNA (miRNA) plays significant roles in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, and has been considered to be valuable biomarker for cancer. Accurate and sensitive detection of miRNA is crucially significant for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Here, a MnO₂ nanosheet-mediated ratiometric fluorescence biosensor was designed for miRNA detection and imaging in living cells. It contained MnO₂ nanosheets acting as DNA carrier, and fluorescent donor (FAM)-labeled hairpin H1 (recognition probe) and fluorescent acceptor (TAMRA)-labeled hairpin H2 (amplification probe). When the biosensor entered cell by endocytosis, MnO₂ nanosheets were degraded to Mn²⁺ via intracellular glutathione (GSH) and the adsorbed hairpins H1 and H2 were released. The intracellular target miRNA-21 hybridized with the recognition unit of H1 to initiate catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) and a large amount of H1-H2 duplexes were produced. This brought fluorescent donor FAM and fluorescent acceptor TAMRA into close proximity to produce fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), inducing a ratiometric fluorescent response (donor signal decreased and acceptor signal enhanced) for miRNA-21 detection. Furthermore, this method could be applied to differentiate the expression levels of miRNA-21 in HeLa, HepG-2 and L02 cells. These results indicated that the proposed method possessed great potential in the early diagnosis of miRNA-related diseases.