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Molecular Biological Technologies for Ocean Sensing pp 103–116Cite as

DNAzyme-Based Sensing for Metal Ions in Ocean Platform

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Abstract

The ocean contains a number of metal ions that are either beneficial or detrimental to marine lives or ecology. Developing sensors for on-site and real-time detection of these metal ions plays an important role in our understanding the ocean as well as its protection. DNAzymes, DNA molecules with enzymatic functions, have emerged as a new class of sensing molecules for metal ions, because DNAzymes with high affinity and specificity for almost any metal ions at a specific oxidation state can be obtained through in vitro selection. By integrating the DNAzyme with different signal transduction molecules, such as fluorophores or nanoparticles, DNAzyme-based sensors for a broad range of metal ions with high sensitivity (with limit of detection down to ppt) and selectivity (with over a million fold) have been reported. In this chapter, we summarize recent progress in DNAzyme-based sensors for metal ions and describe detailed protocols in designing fluorescent and colorimetric sensors for uranium and mercury. The diverse range of metal ions it can detect as well as its excellent sensing properties makes DNAzyme an excellent choice for ocean sensing.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support from the US National Institutes of Health (ES016865), Department of Energy (DE-FG02-08-ER64568), National Science Foundation (CTS-0120978, DMR-0117792, and DMI-0328162).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA

    Jung Heon Lee, Zidong Wang & Yi Lu

  2. School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, South Korea

    Jung Heon Lee

  3. Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA

    Yi Lu

Authors
  1. Jung Heon Lee
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  2. Zidong Wang
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  3. Yi Lu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yi Lu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, 48128, USA

    Sonia M. Tiquia-Arashiro

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Lee, J.H., Wang, Z., Lu, Y. (2012). DNAzyme-Based Sensing for Metal Ions in Ocean Platform. In: Tiquia-Arashiro, S. (eds) Molecular Biological Technologies for Ocean Sensing. Springer Protocols Handbooks. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-915-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-915-0_5

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-914-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-915-0

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