Isothermal and rapid detection of pathogenic microorganisms using a nano-rolling circle amplification-surface plasmon resonance biosensor

Rolling circle amplification (RCA) of DNA is a sensitive and cost effective method for the rapid identification of pathogens without the need for sequencing. In this study, a surface plasmon resonance DNA biosensor based on RCA with a gold (Au) nanoparticle surface was established for isothermal identification of DNA. The probes included a specific padlock probe, a capture probe (CP), which is bound to biotin, and an Au nanoparticle-modified probe, which hybridizes with the RCA products. The CP was assembled on gold nanoparticles to increase its ability to bind and hybridize. The linear padlock probe, which was designed to circularize by ligation upon recognition of the bacterial pathogen-specific sequence in 16 S rDNA, hybridizes to fully complementary sequences within the CP. Upon recognition, each target gene DNA is distinguished by localization onto the corresponding channel on the chip surface. Then, the immobilized CPs act as primers to begin the in situ solid-phase RCA reaction, which produces long single-stranded DNA. The RCA products fixed on the chip surface cause significant surface plasmon resonance angle changes. We demonstrated that six different bacterial pathogens can be identified simultaneously and that 0.5 pM of synthetic oligonucleotides and 0.5 pg μl−1 of genomic DNA from clinical samples can be detected by this method with low background signals. Therefore, the multiplex diagnostic method provides a highly sensitive and specific approach for the rapid identification of positive samples.