Highly fluorescence quenching graphene oxide-based oligodeoxynucleotide hairpin systems for probing CNG DNA repeat sequences

In this study we synthesized a novel graphene-oxide (GO) based CNG repeat hairpin probing system capable of detecting target CAG and CTG DNA repeat sequences. The fluorescence of the 30-mer CNG repeat hairpin structure was quenched dramatically by GO in the absence of the target sequence, with a high quenching constant [K = 0.030 (mg/mL)⁻¹]. We optimized the quenching behavior of this probing system by using graphene oxide (GO) to induce a high degree of discrimination factor (44.6 times) between the fluorescence of the target sequence and that of other non-target sequences. All detection process is explained by displacement mechanism using adsorption, desorption, and hybridization of probe with target DNA sequence on the GO. Graphene-oxide (GO) based CNG repeat hairpin probing system exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity to the target CNG repeat sequence and its detection process is so simple and quick.