@article{discovery10129248,
       publisher = {WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH},
            note = {{\copyright} 2021 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.},
         journal = {ADVANCED MATERIALS},
           title = {Tumor-Targeting Cholesterol-Decorated DNA Nanoflowers for Intracellular Ratiometric Aptasensing},
            year = {2021},
           month = {March},
          volume = {33},
          number = {11},
             url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202007738},
            issn = {1521-4095},
          author = {Kim, N and Kim, E and Kim, H and Thomas, MR and Najer, A and Stevens, MM},
        abstract = {Probing endogenous molecular profiles is of fundamental importance to understand cellular function and processes. Despite the promise of programmable nucleic-acid-based aptasensors across the breadth of biomolecular detection, target-responsive aptasensors enabling intracellular detection are as of yet infrequently realized. Several challenges remain, including the difficulties in quantification/normalization of quencher-based intensiometric signals, stability issues of the probe architecture, and complex sensor operations often necessitating extensive structural modeling. Here, the biomimetic crystallization-empowered self-assembly of a tumor-targetable DNA-inorganic hybrid nanocomposite aptasensor is presented, which enables F{\"o}rster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based quantitative interpretation of changes in the cellular target abundance. Leveraging the design programmability and high-throughput fabrication of rolling circle amplification-driven DNA nanoarchitecture, this designer platform offers a method to self-assemble a robust nanosensor from a multifunctionality-encoded template that includes a cell-targeting aptamer, a ratiometric aptasensor, and a cholesterol-decorating element. Taking prostate cancer cells and intracellular adenosine triphosphate molecules as a model system, a synergistic effect in the targeted delivery by cholesterol and aptamers, and the feasibility of quantitative intracellular aptasensing are demonstrated. It is envisioned that this approach provides a highly generalizable strategy across wide-ranging target systems toward a biologically deliverable nanosensor that enables quantitative monitoring of the abundance of endogenous biomolecules.}
}