Highly fluorescence quenching graphene oxide-based oligodeoxynucleotide hairpin systems for probing CNG DNA repeat sequences

In this study we synthesized a novel graphene-oxide (GO) based CNG repeat hairpin probing system capable of detecting target CAG and CTG DNA repeat sequences. The fluorescence of the 30-mer CNG repeat hairpin structure was quenched dramatically by GO in the absence of the target sequence, with a high quenching constant [K = 0.030 (mg/mL)(-1)]. We optimized the quenching behavior of this probing system by using graphene oxide (GO) to induce a high degree of discrimination factor (44.6 times) between the fluorescence of the target sequence and that of other non-target sequences. All detection process is explained by displacement mechanism using adsorption, desorption, and hybridization of probe with target DNA sequence on the GO. Graphene-oxide (GO) based CNG repeat hairpin probing system exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity to the target CNG repeat sequence and its detection process is so simple and quick. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.