Click chemistry-based dual nanosystem for microRNA-122 detection with single-base specificity from tumour cells.

Robles-Remacho A, Martos-Jamai I, Tabraue-Chávez M, Aguilar-González A, Laz-Ruiz JA, Cano-Cortés MV, López-Delgado FJ, Guardia-Monteagudo JJ, Pernagallo S, Diaz-Mochon JJ, Sanchez-Martin RM

J Nanobiotechnology 22 (1) 791 [2024-12-23; online 2024-12-23]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been recognised as potential biomarkers due to their specific expression patterns in different biological tissues and their changes in expression under pathological conditions. MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) is a vertebrate-specific miRNA that is predominantly expressed in the liver and plays an important role in liver metabolism and development. Dysregulation of miR-122 expression is associated with several liver-related diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma and drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Given the potential of miR-122 as a biomarker, its effective detection is important for accurate diagnosis. However, miRNA detection methods still face challenges, particularly in terms of accurately identifying miRNA isoforms that may differ by only a single base. Here, with the aim of advancing accessible methods for the detection of miRNAs with single-base specificity, we have developed a robust dual nanosystem that leverages the simplicity of click chemistry reactions. Using the dual nanosystem, we successfully detected miR-122 at single-base resolution using flow cytometry and analysed its expression in various tumour cell lines with high specificity and strong correlation with TaqMan assay results. We also detected miR-122 in serum and identified four single nucleotide variations in its sequence. The chemistry employed in this dual nanosystem is highly versatile and offers a promising opportunity to develop nanoparticle-based strategies that incorporate click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry for the detection of miRNAs and their isoforms.

PubMed 39710710

DOI 10.1186/s12951-024-03071-6

Crossref 10.1186/s12951-024-03071-6

pmc: PMC11665063
pii: 10.1186/s12951-024-03071-6