基于酶切激活转录的基质金属蛋白酶-2检测新方法

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) can degrade extracellular matrix, promote invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis of tumors, and has been adopted as a tumor marker in clinic research. Developing accurate and sensitive assays for the detection of MMP-2 is of great significance for the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of many diseases. On the basis of the inhibition of T7 lysozyme on the transcriptional activity of T7 RNA polymerase(T7 RNAP), a signal conversion amplifier (LP-MMP-2) was constructed and used to develop a novel MMP-2 colorimetric assay. MMP-2 activates T7 RNAP transcription to produce RNA by splitting LP-MMP-2 protein. The RNA promotes cross-linking and aggregation of DNA-functionalized AuNPs to produce colorimetric signals. The results showed that the colorimetric assay can detect MMP-2 with high selectivity and sensitivity. The linear range is 0.1-20 nM and the limit of detection is 17 pM. Furthermore, the colorimetric assay can be used for the sensitive detection of MMP-2 in complex samples, which implies its potential applications in clinical diagnosis.