A molecular-beacon-type riboregulator (mRNA) was applied to multiply catalytic gene sensing. It consists of a reporter gene for firefly protein luciferase and, upstream thereof, a regulator hairpin domain composed of an RBS/anti-RBS stem (RBS = ribosome binding site) and a loop which is complementary to the target. The hairpin and, hence, the RBS are rendered open upon binding of a target oligonucleotide of the human CC chemokine receptor 5 sequence in a prokaryotic cell-free translation system (10
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L) to ignite ribosomal catalytic translation, or transcription/translation when using a DNA form of the probe, to produce luciferase, which is assayed by a catalytic chemiluminescence reaction. The sensing, using an unmodified RNA or even dsDNA as a probe with a chemiluminescence output, is thus doubly catalytic or amplifiable with a sensitivity at
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50 fmol in respect to the target with 4.5 fmol (1 ng/
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L) of probe and a single nucleotide resolution.