Catalytically Active Nucleic Acids

Negar Alizadeh, Abdollah Salimi, Rahman Hallaj, Alizadeh, Negar, Salimi, Abdollah, Hallaj, Rahman

Enzymes are macromolecular biological catalysts that accelerate chemical reactions. Enzyme labels are commonly used to obtain signal amplification in sensors and biosensors on the basis of reactions of some enzymes such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP). However, use of natural enzymes can encounter some challenges. Lately, nucleic acids that exhibit catalytic properties have attracted growing interest because they have certain advantages in comparison with traditional protein enzymes. DNAzymes are DNA-based catalysts, representing an important class of functional DNA, which have been widely used because of their excellent activity, programmability, signal amplification through catalytic turnover, high chemical stability, simple synthesis, and easy modification. Considering these remarkable properties, the hemin/G-quadruplex DNAzyme is extensively used in electrochemical, colorimetric, and chemiluminescence sensors and biosensors for detection of various targets. Graphical Abstract.