The Chemistry of Europium(III) Encountering DNA: Sprouting Unique Sequence-Dependent Performances for Multifunctional Time-Resolved Luminescent Assays

Screening functional DNA that can fruitfully interact with metal ions is a long-standing hot topic in the fields of biotechnology, medicine, and DNA-based sensors. In this paper, we focus on the chemistry of europium­(III) (Eu) coupled with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), and we innovatively unveil that cytosine- and thymine-rich ssDNA oligomers (e.g., C16 and T16) can be effective antenna ligands to sensitize the luminescence of Eu. Luminescence lifetime spectroscopy, circular dichroic (CD) spectroscopy, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) have been used to systematically characterize the interaction involved between Eu and ssDNA. In light of the resultant sequence-dependent performances, the long luminescence lifetime Eu/ssDNA-based label-free and versatile probes are further devised as a pattern distinction system for time-resolved luminescent (TRL) sensing applications. The interactions of metal ions and ssDNA can distinctively shift the antenna effect of ssDNA toward Eu as accessible pattern signals. As a result, as few as two Eu/ssDNA label-free TRL probes can discriminate 17 metal ions via principal component analysis (PCA). In addition, thiols can readily capture metal ions to switch the luminescence of Eu/ssDNA probes initially altered by metal ions. Hence, four Eu/ssDNA–metal ion ensembles are demonstrated to be a powerful label-free TRL sensor array for pattern differentiation of eight thiols and even chiral recognition of cysteine enantiomers with different concentrations. Moreover, the sensitive TRL detection of thiols in biofluids can be successfully realized by using our method, promising its potential practical usage. This is the first report of a ssDNA-sensitized Eu-based TRL platform for label-free yet multifunctional background-free sensing and would open a door for sprouting of more novel lanthanide ion/DNA-relevant strategies toward widespread applications.