17E DNAzyme as a general divalent metal sensor

DNAzymes activities, with various metal ions, are tested in different conditions (such as concentration, pH, buffer, salt, presence/absence of oxygen), to understand the sensor system, and to improve the specificity and detection limit. The results are analyzed using denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the signals from fluorescent dyes are imaged and analyzed to characterize the experiment conditions.

The purpose of this research project is to develop new biosensor for metal ions for water samples and to understand the effect of dissolved organic matters (DOM) on the biosensor. In particular, the biosensors are based on catalytically active DNA molecules (DNAzymes) that require specific metal ions for activity. This work will test a DNAzyme, that is 17E, for its use as a general metal sensor for common transition metal ions and the DOM effect. In addition, we are selecting new DNAzymes that are specific to important metals such as Ni2+. This work is conducted in collaboration with Dr. Scott Smith from Wilfrid Laurier University. This data set is collected for the project titled "Sensors and Sensing Systems for Water Quality Monitoring", which is a Pillar 2 project under the Global Water Futures Program funded by Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

Liu, J., Moon, W., Huang, P., and Smith, S. (2019). 17E DNAzyme as a general divalent metal sensor. Waterloo, Canada: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN). Unpublished Data.