MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous ∼23 nt RNAs that play important gene-regulatory roles in animals and plants by pairing to the mRNAs of protein-coding genes to direct their posttranscriptional repression. This review outlines the current understanding of miRNA target recognition in animals and discusses the widespread impact of miRNAs on both the expression and evolution of protein-coding genes.

MicroRNAs: Target Recognition and Regulatory Functions

Carbon and graphene quantum dots (CQDs and GQDs), known as zero-dimensional (0D) nanomaterials, have been attracting increasing attention in sensing and bioimaging. Their unique electronic, fluores...

Review of Carbon and Graphene Quantum Dots for Sensing

Photoelectrochemical sensing is an attractive tool for rapid and accurate monitor of chemical and biochemical mole-cules. Compared with conventional analysis techniques, photoelectrochemical sensing exhibits unique technique superiority and has become a hot topic in material chemis-try and analytical chemistry. This review provides an over-view of the important advances in the construction and application of photoelectrochemical sensing in recent year. In the first segment, we briefly introduce the general princi-ple and technical characteristic of photoelectrochemical sensing. In the subsequent sections, we primarily devote to elaborating the typical strategies of design and engineering photoactive materials for improve the light excitation as well as charge separation/transfer to modulate the perfor-mance of photoelectrochemical sensing system. Addition-ally, the current research status of photoelectrochemical sensing with a particular emphasis on the innovative sens-ing devices and detection modes for achieving specific sensing functions is describes in detail with the illustrative examples. Finally, the critical challenges on the journey to achieve real-life applications of photoelectrochemical sens-ing and the viable solutions for solving these problems as well as the future research perspectives are discussed.

Recent Advances in Photoelectrochemical Sensing: From Engineered Photoactive Materials to Sensing Devices and Detection Modes.

A review on nanostructured carbon quantum dots and their applications in biotechnology, sensors, and chemiluminescence.

Nucleolus tracking and nucleus-targeted photodynamic therapy are attracting increasing attention due to the importance of nucleolus and the sensitivity of nucleus to various therapeutic stimuli. Herein, a new class of multifunctional fluorescent carbon quantum dots (or carbon dots, CDs) synthesized via the one-pot hydrothermal reaction of m-phenylenediamine and l-cysteine was reported to effectively target nucleolus. The as-prepared CDs possess superior properties, such as low-cost and facile synthesis, good water dispersibility, various surface groups for further modifications, prominent photostability, excellent compatibility, and rapid/convenient/wash-free staining procedures. Besides, as compared with SYTO RNASelect (a commonly used commercial dye for nucleolus imaging) that can only image nucleolus in fixed cells, the CDs can realize high-quality nucleolus imaging in not only fixed cells but also living cells, allowing the real-time tracking of nucleolus-related biological behaviors. Furthermore, aft...

Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dots with Intrinsic Nucleolus-Targeting Capability for Nucleolus Imaging and Enhanced Cytosolic and Nuclear Drug Delivery.

A novel electrochemiluminescence biosensor for the detection of microRNAs based on a DNA functionalized nitrogen doped carbon quantum dots as signal enhancers

Enhanced photoelectrochemical DNA sensor based on TiO2/Au hybrid structure

Highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor for streptavidin detection based on CdSe quantum dots.

Photoelectrochemical DNA biosensor based on g-C3N4/MoS2 2D/2D heterojunction electrode matrix and co-sensitization amplification with CdSe QDs for the sensitive detection of ssDNA.

A novel highly electrochemiluminescence (ECL) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been successfully synthesized by combining CdSe quantum dots (QDs) and MIL-101 in one step by facile hydrothermal method. The as-prepared MIL-101-CdSe nanocomposites combine a high ECL activity and sensing selectivity derived from CdSe and the highly selective adsorption and efficient accumulation performance of MOFs. The selective accumulation effect of MOFs can greatly amplify the sensing signal and specificity of the ECL probe. The resulting nanocomposites were applied to develop an ultrasensitive ECL immunosensor for detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). This ECL immunosensor has a sensitive response to CEA in a linear range of 10−12 mg mL−1–10−4 mg mL−1 with a detection limit of 0.33 fg mL−1. The developed ECL immunosensor shows high sensitivity, good stability, specificity, and excellent reproducibility, and can be used for detection of real samples, which providing potential application in clinical detection.

Xing-Pei Liu

Papers

A novel electrochemiluminescence biosensor for the detection of microRNAs based on a DNA functionalized nitrogen doped carbon quantum dots as signal enhancers

Enhanced photoelectrochemical DNA sensor based on TiO2/Au hybrid structure

Highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor for streptavidin detection based on CdSe quantum dots.

Photoelectrochemical DNA biosensor based on g-C3N4/MoS2 2D/2D heterojunction electrode matrix and co-sensitization amplification with CdSe QDs for the sensitive detection of ssDNA.

A facile in situ synthesis of MIL-101-CdSe nanocomposites for ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence detection of carcinoembryonic antigen