DNAzymes are synthetic functional nucleic acids that have found widespread use in biosensing applications both for molecular recognition and signal generation. Two classes of DNAzymes have proved particularly effective for use in proof-of-concept biosensing systems, namely RNA-cleaving DNAzymes (RCDs) and peroxidase mimicking DNAzymes (PMDs). RCDs catalyze the site-specific cleavage reaction of an RNA dinucleotide junction, generating two cleavage fragments. PMDs are capable of catalyzing peroxidation reactions of chromophores, thereby generating a measurable signal. Herein, we review the use of these DNAzymes in biomedical assays and diagnostics, and show that this emerging field should have great promise for biosensor development over the next few decades.

DNAzyme是合成的功能性核酸，已广泛用于分子识别和信号产生的生物传感应用。事实证明，两类脱氧核糖核酸酶在概念验证生物传感系统中特别有效，即RNA裂解脱氧核糖核酸酶（RCD）和模仿脱氧核糖核酸酶（PMD）的过氧化物酶。RCD催化RNA二核苷酸连接的位点特异性切割反应，产生两个切割片段。PMD能够催化生色团的过氧化反应，从而产生可测量的信号。本文中，我们回顾了这些DNA酶在生物医学测定和诊断中的用途，并表明该新兴领域应在未来几十年中为生物传感器的发展带来广阔前景。