A SERS Biosensor Based on Functionalized Au-SiNCA Integrated with a Dual Signal Amplification Strategy for Sensitive Detection of Telomerase Activity During EMT in Laryngeal Carcinoma

Yuexing Gu,1,2,* Yan Li,3,* Shengjie Ge,1,2 Wenbo Lu,4 Yu Mao,1,2 Miao Chen,1,2 Yayun Qian1,2 1Institute of Translational Medicine, Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Prevention and Treatment of Senile Diseases, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second People’s Hospital of Taizhou City, Taizhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Shanxi Normal University, College of Chemistry and Material Science, Linfen, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yayun Qian, Email yyqian@yzu.edu.cnPurpose: This paper aims to construct a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) biosensor based on functionalized Au-Si nanocone arrays (Au-SiNCA) using a dual signal amplification strategy (SDA-CHA) to evaluate telomerase activity during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in laryngeal carcinoma (LC).Methods: A SERS biosensor based on functionalized Au-SiNCA was designed with an integrated dual-signal amplification strategy to achieve ultrasensitive detection of telomerase activity during EMT in LC patients.Results: Labeled probes (Au-AgNRs@4-MBA@H1) and capture substrates (Au-SiNCA@H2) were prepared by modifying hairpin DNA and Raman signal molecules. Using this scheme, telomerase activity in peripheral mononuclear cells (PMNC) could be successfully detected with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 10− 6 IU/mL. In addition, biological experiments using BLM treatment of TU686 effectively mimicked the EMT process. The results of this scheme were highly consistent with the ELISA scheme, confirming its accuracy.Conclusion: This scheme provides a reproducible, selective, and ultrasensitive assay for telomerase activity, which is expected to be a potential tool for the early screening of LC in future clinical applications.Keywords: surface-enhanced Raman scattering, telomerase, laryngeal carcinoma, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, Au-SiNCA