Label-Free and Immobilization-Free Electrochemical Magnetobiosensor for Sensitive Detection of 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in Genomic DNA

Anal Chem. 2019 Jan 15;91(2):1232-1236. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b04663. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

Abstract

DNA 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) is an important epigenetic biomarker for tumorigenesis, and the loss of 5-hmC levels is associated with leukemia and melanoma cancers. However, it is a great challenge to discriminate 5-hmC from 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) using the conventional bisulfite conversion methods. Herein, we report a label-free and immobilization-free electrochemical magnetobiosensor for sensitive quantification of 5-hmC in genomic DNA based on a dual signal amplification strategy coupled with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TDT) enzymatic amplification and Ru(III) redox cycling. This screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE)-based electrochemical magnetobiosensor shows distinct advantages of having low cost and simple fabrication and being label-free, immobilization-free, PCR-free, and radioactive-free. It exhibits high sensitivity with a detection limit of as low as 9.06 fM and a large dynamic range from 0.01 to 1000 pM. Importantly, this biosensor can discriminate 5-hmC from cytosine and 5-mC, and it can successfully detect 5-hmC in live cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 5-Methylcytosine / analogs & derivatives*
  • 5-Methylcytosine / chemistry
  • Biosensing Techniques / methods*
  • Carbon / chemistry
  • DNA / analysis*
  • DNA / chemistry
  • DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase / chemistry
  • Electrochemical Techniques / instrumentation
  • Electrochemical Techniques / methods*
  • Electrodes
  • Ferricyanides / chemistry
  • HEK293 Cells
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Limit of Detection
  • Magnetic Phenomena
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Ruthenium Compounds / chemistry

Substances

  • Ferricyanides
  • Ruthenium Compounds
  • 5-hydroxymethylcytosine
  • hexacyanoferrate III
  • hexammineruthenium
  • 5-Methylcytosine
  • Carbon
  • DNA
  • DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase