Precious metal nanoprobes based on DNA modification: design, function and their application in biosensing

Precious metal nanomaterials (PMNMs) have limited applications due to their ease of aggregation, monofunctionality and potential toxicity. However, the sequence programmability, biocompatibility and multifunctional integration of DNA enable DNA-modified PMNMs to combine the properties of both DNA and PMNMs have a wider range of applications in the field of biosensing. This paper reviews the research on the application of DNA-modified PMNMs grown in biosensing. Firstly, we present the mechanisms of DNA binding to different PMNMs. Secondly, the different roles played by DNA in DNA-modified precious metal nanoprobes (PMNPs) as synthetic templates, intermolecular distance and optical property modulation, signal amplification, and target recognition are discussed. Thirdly, we discuss the applications of these nanoprobes in biosensing, such as colorimetric, fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and electrochemistry, which provide a reference for further research on the design of DNA-modified precious metal nanoprobes and their applications in biosensing and other fields. Finally, challenges and opportunities for the future development of DNA-modified PMNPs are proposed and summarized.