Logic-Gated Proximity Aptasensing for Cell-Surface Real-Time Monitoring of Apoptosis

Abstract

In nature, intact apoptotic cells release ATP as a signaling molecule to trigger prompt phagocytic clearance, even at the earliest stage of apoptosis. Inspired by this, here we introduce a straightforward strategy for real-time monitoring ATP exocytosis and drug-stimulated apoptosis in the cancer cell surroundings. Triplex-boosted G-quadruplexes (tb-G4s) responding to cell environmental factors (H⁺ and K⁺ ) are engineered to construct a DNA logic-gated nanoplatform for proximity ATP aptasensing on the cell surface. It enables the real-time monitoring of cell apoptosis by capturing released endogenous ATP during chemotherapy drug stimulation, providing a sensitive approach for dynamically evaluating drug-induced apoptosis and therapeutic efficacy.

Keywords: ATP; apoptosis; aptasensors; logic gates; real-time monitoring.