Applications of Catalytic Hairpin Assembly Reaction in Biosensing

Catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA), a robust, versatile, and enzyme ‐free nucleic acid isothermal amplification method, has attracted broad attention. Herein, the mechanisms of several extended CHA systems, hairpin designs, and reaction conditions are introduced in detail. Various analytical platforms are applied for signal output of CHA. Biosensors based on CHA a re presented. Finally, challenges and the outlook of CHA developments are considered. AbstractNucleic acids are considered as perfect programmable materials for cascade signal amplification and not merely as genetic information carriers. Among them, catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA), an enzyme ‐free, high‐efficiency, and isothermal amplification method, is a typical example. A typical CHA reaction is initiated by single‐stranded analytes, and substrate hairpins are successively opened, resulting in thermodynamically stable duplexes. CHA circuits, which were first proposed in 2008, p resent dozens of systems today. Through in‐depth research on mechanisms, the CHA circuits have been continuously enriched with diverse reaction systems and improved analytical performance. After a short time, the CHA reaction can realize exponential amplification under isothermal conditions. Under certain conditions, the CHA reaction can even achieve 600 000‐fold signal amplification. Owing to its promising versatility, CHA is able to be applied for analysis of various markers in vitro and in living cells. Also, CHA is integrate...
Source: Small - Category: Nanotechnology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research