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Chandra S, Williams A, Maksudov F, Kliuchnikov E, Pattiya Arachchillage KGG, Piscitelli P, Castillo A, Marx KA, Barsegov V, Artes Vivancos JM. Charge transport in individual short base stacked single-stranded RNA molecules. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19858. [PMID: 37963922 PMCID: PMC10645971 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46263-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Charge transport in biomolecules is crucial for many biological and technological applications, including biomolecular electronics devices and biosensors. RNA has become the focus of research because of its importance in biomedicine, but its charge transport properties are not well understood. Here, we use the Scanning Tunneling Microscopy-assisted molecular break junction method to measure the electrical conductance of particular 5-base and 10-base single-stranded (ss) RNA sequences capable of base stacking. These ssRNA sequences show single-molecule conductance values around [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]), while equivalent-length ssDNAs result in featureless conductance histograms. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra and MD simulations reveal the existence of extended ssRNA conformations versus folded ssDNA conformations, consistent with their different electrical behaviors. Computational molecular modeling and Machine Learning-assisted interpretation of CD data helped us to disentangle the structural and electronic factors underlying CT, thus explaining the observed electrical behavior differences. RNA with a measurable conductance corresponds to sequences with overall extended base-stacking stabilized conformations characterized by lower HOMO energy levels delocalized over a base-stacking mediating CT pathway. In contrast, DNA and a control RNA sequence without significant base-stacking tend to form closed structures and thus are incapable of efficient CT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subrata Chandra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854, USA
| | - Ajoke Williams
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854, USA
| | - Farkhad Maksudov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854, USA
| | | | | | - Patrick Piscitelli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854, USA
| | - Aderlyn Castillo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854, USA
| | - Kenneth A Marx
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854, USA
| | - Valeri Barsegov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854, USA.
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Gunasinghe Pattiya Arachchillage KG, Chandra S, Williams A, Rangan S, Piscitelli P, Florence L, Ghosal Gupta S, Artes Vivancos JM. A single-molecule RNA electrical biosensor for COVID-19. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 239:115624. [PMID: 37639885 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic shows a critical need for rapid, inexpensive, and ultrasensitive early detection methods based on biomarker analysis to reduce mortality rates by containing the spread of epidemics. This can be achieved through the electrical detection of nucleic acids at the single-molecule level. In particular, the scanning tunneling microscopic-assisted break junction (STM-BJ) method can be utilized to detect individual nucleic acid molecules with high specificity and sensitivity in liquid samples. Here, we demonstrate single-molecule electrical detection of RNA coronavirus biomarkers, including those of SARS-CoV-2 as well as those of different variants and subvariants. Our target sequences include a conserved sequence in the human coronavirus family, a conserved target specific for the SARS-CoV-2 family, and specific targets at the variant and subvariant levels. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to distinguish between different variants of the COVID-19 virus using electrical conductance signals, as recently suggested by theoretical approaches. Our results pave the way for future miniaturized single-molecule electrical biosensors that could be game changers for infectious diseases and other public health applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Subrata Chandra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA
| | - Ajoke Williams
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA
| | - Srijith Rangan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA
| | - Patrick Piscitelli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA
| | - Lily Florence
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA
| | | | - Juan M Artes Vivancos
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA.
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Jiang T, Zeng BF, Zhang B, Tang L. Single-molecular protein-based bioelectronics via electronic transport: fundamentals, devices and applications. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:5968-6002. [PMID: 37498342 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00519k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Biomolecular electronics is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary field that combines biology, nanoscience, and engineering to bridge the two important fields of life sciences and molecular electronics. Proteins are remarkable for their ability to recognize molecules and transport electrons, making the integration of proteins into electronic devices a long sought-after goal and leading to the emergence of the field of protein-based bioelectronics, also known as proteotronics. This field seeks to design and create new biomolecular electronic platforms that allow for the understanding and manipulation of protein-mediated electronic charge transport and related functional applications. In recent decades, there have been numerous reports on protein-based bioelectronics using a variety of nano-gapped electrical devices and techniques at the single molecular level, which are not achievable with conventional ensemble approaches. This review focuses on recent advances in physical electron transport mechanisms, device fabrication methodologies, and various applications in protein-based bioelectronics. We discuss the most recent progress of the single or few protein-bridged electrical junction fabrication strategies, summarise the work on fundamental and functional applications of protein bioelectronics that enable high and dynamic electron transport, and highlight future perspectives and challenges that still need to be addressed. We believe that this specific review will stimulate the interdisciplinary research of topics related to protein-related bioelectronics, and open up new possibilities for single-molecule biophysics and biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
| | - Biao-Feng Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
| | - Bintian Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Longhua Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
- Institute of Quantum Sensing, Interdisciplinary Centre for Quantum Information, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
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Pattiya Arachchillage KGG, Chandra S, Williams A, Piscitelli P, Pham J, Castillo A, Florence L, Rangan S, Artes Vivancos JM. Electrical detection of RNA cancer biomarkers at the single-molecule level. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12428. [PMID: 37528139 PMCID: PMC10393997 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39450-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a significant healthcare issue, and early screening methods based on biomarker analysis in liquid biopsies are promising avenues to reduce mortality rates. Electrical detection of nucleic acids at the single molecule level could enable these applications. We examine the electrical detection of RNA cancer biomarkers (KRAS mutants G12C and G12V) as a single-molecule proof-of-concept electrical biosensor for cancer screening applications. We show that the electrical conductance is highly sensitive to the sequence, allowing discrimination of the mutants from a wild-type KRAS sequence differing in just one base. In addition to this high specificity, our results also show that these biosensors are sensitive down to an individual molecule with a high signal-to-noise ratio. These results pave the way for future miniaturized single-molecule electrical biosensors that could be groundbreaking for cancer screening and other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Subrata Chandra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Ajoke Williams
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Patrick Piscitelli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Jennifer Pham
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Aderlyn Castillo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Lily Florence
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Srijith Rangan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Juan M Artes Vivancos
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA.
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Lv SL, Zeng C, Yu Z, Zheng JF, Wang YH, Shao Y, Zhou XS. Recent Advances in Single-Molecule Sensors Based on STM Break Junction Measurements. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12080565. [PMID: 35892462 PMCID: PMC9329744 DOI: 10.3390/bios12080565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Single-molecule recognition and detection with the highest resolution measurement has been one of the ultimate goals in science and engineering. Break junction techniques, originally developed to measure single-molecule conductance, recently have also been proven to have the capacity for the label-free exploration of single-molecule physics and chemistry, which paves a new way for single-molecule detection with high temporal resolution. In this review, we outline the primary advances and potential of the STM break junction technique for qualitative identification and quantitative detection at a single-molecule level. The principles of operation of these single-molecule electrical sensing mainly in three regimes, ion, environmental pH and genetic material detection, are summarized. It clearly proves that the single-molecule electrical measurements with break junction techniques show a promising perspective for designing a simple, label-free and nondestructive electrical sensor with ultrahigh sensitivity and excellent selectivity.
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Chandra S, Gunasinghe Pattiya Arachchillage KG, Kliuchnikov E, Maksudov F, Ayoub S, Barsegov V, Artés Vivancos JM. Single-molecule conductance of double-stranded RNA oligonucleotides. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:2572-2577. [PMID: 35107112 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr06925j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
RNA oligonucleotides are crucial for a range of biological functions and in many biotechnological applications. Herein, we measured, for the first time, the conductance of individual double-stranded (ds)RNA molecules and compared it with the conductance of single DNA : RNA hybrids. The average conductance values are similar for both biomolecules, but the distribution of conductance values shows an order of magnitude higher variability for dsRNA, indicating higher molecular flexibility of dsRNA. Microsecond Molecular Dynamics simulations explain this difference and provide structural insights into the higher stability of DNA : RNA duplex with atomic level of detail. The rotations of 2'-OH groups of the ribose rings and the bases in RNA strands destabilize the duplex structure by weakening base stacking interactions, affecting charge transport, and making single-molecule conductance of dsRNA more variable (dynamic disorder). The results demonstrate that a powerful combination of state-of-the-art biomolecular electronics techniques and computational approaches can provide valuable insights into biomolecules' biophysics with unprecedented spatial resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subrata Chandra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854 MA, USA.
| | | | - Evgenii Kliuchnikov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854 MA, USA.
| | - Farkhad Maksudov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854 MA, USA.
| | - Steven Ayoub
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854 MA, USA.
| | - Valeri Barsegov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854 MA, USA.
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