Allosteric probe-driven catalytic CRISPR-Cas12a and dual-colored
persistent luminescence nanoparticles tandem biosensing for
ultra-sensitive MRSA detection
Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a prevalent and
highly virulent bacterium encountered in clinical settings. Due to its
uneven drug resistance profile and the multitude of factors influencing
detection rates, precise and sensitive identification of MRSA is
essential. Herein, we developed a detection system (called
“APC-Cas-PLNPs”) that can ultra-sensitive detection for MRSA, using
nucleic acid-based allosteric probe, CRISPR-Cas12a and dual-colored
persistent luminescent nanoparticles tandem detection. Simply,
allosteric probe was used for specifically recognize MRSA and cyclic
signal amplification, and then initiated catalytic CRISPR-Cas12a
collateral cleavage. Meanwhile, red-emitting ZnGa2O4:Cr (ZGC) bonded
with BHQ3 modified single-stranded DNA to create a detection probe known
as ZGC@BHQ3, and green-emitting Zn2GeO4:Mn (ZGM) was utilized as the
reference probe and electrostatically bound to both probes, forming the
ratiometric luminescence sensor ZGC@BHQ3-ZGM for CRISPR-Cas12a
detection.With this strategy, the non-nucleic acid targets were
dexterously converted into fluorescent signals. This tandem detection
system eliminates interference from background fluorescence and external
factors, and provided a novel signal amplification and conversion
strategy, which enables accurate and sensitive quantification of MRSA
(1-105 CFU/mL) without requiring isolation and DNA extraction. Moreover,
APC-Cas-PLNPs can recognize low levels of MRSA in food samples such as
milk and orange juice, as well as in mouse serum, demonstrating greater
sensitivity compared to real-time PCR. This method holds significant
potential application value in food detection and early diagnosis of
pathogenic bacteria, highlighting its broad applicability.