Directed Evolution of a G-Quadruplex Peroxidase DNAzyme and Application in Proteomic DNAzyme-Aptamer Proximity Labeling

J Am Chem Soc. 2023 Jun 14;145(23):12726-12736. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c02625. Epub 2023 Jun 5.

Abstract

DNAzymes have been limited in application by their low catalytic rates. Here, we evolved a new peroxidase DNAzyme mSBDZ-X-3 through a directed evolution method based on the capture of self-biotinylated DNA catalyzed by its intrinsic peroxidase activity. The mSBDX-X-3 DNAzyme has a parallel G-quadruplex structure and has more favorable catalytic properties than all previously reported peroxidase DNAzyme variants. We applied mSBDZ-X-3 in an aptamer-coupled proximity-based labeling proteomic assay to determine the proteins that bind to cell surface cancer biomarkers EpCAM and nucleolin. Confocal microscopy, western blot analysis, and LC-MS/MS showed that the hybrid DNAzyme aptamer-coupled proximity assay-labeled proteins associated with EpCAM and nucleolin within 6-12 min in fixed cancer cells. The labeled proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. This study provides a highly efficient peroxidase DNAzyme, a methodology for selection of such variants, and a method for its application in spatial proteomics using entirely nucleic acid-based tooling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aptamers, Nucleotide* / chemistry
  • Biosensing Techniques* / methods
  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • Coloring Agents
  • DNA, Catalytic* / chemistry
  • Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule
  • G-Quadruplexes*
  • Hemin / chemistry
  • Peroxidase / metabolism
  • Peroxidases / chemistry
  • Proteomics
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

  • DNA, Catalytic
  • Peroxidase
  • Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule
  • Peroxidases
  • Coloring Agents
  • Aptamers, Nucleotide
  • Hemin