Stable and Reusable Electrochemical Biosensor for Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase and Its Inhibitor Based on Enzyme-Initiated Auto-PARylation

Electrochemical detection of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 with silver nanoparticles as signal labels by integrating the advantages of homogeneous reaction with surface-tethered detection

Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 (PARP1) could be activated by binding to nucleic acids with specific sequences, thus catalyzing the poly-ADP-ribosylation (PARylation) of target proteins including PARP1 itself. Most of the previously reported electrochemical methods for the determination of PARP1 were relied on the electrostatic interactions, which required the pre-immobilization of DNA on an electrode for the capture of PARP1. Herein, we reported an "immobilization-free" electrochemical strategy for the assays of PARP1 on the basic of avidin-biotin interaction. Once PARP1 was activated by binding with the specific double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in a homogeneous solution, the biotinylated nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (biotin-NAD+) was transferred onto PARP1, resulting in the formation of biotinylated PAR polymers. The resulting biotinylated PAR polymers were then captured by a neutravidin (NA)-modified electrode through avidin-biotin interactions. The rich biotin moieties in the PAR polymers allowed for the capture of NA-modified silver nanoparticles (NA-AgNPs) through the avidin-biotin interactions. The surface-tethered AgNPs produced a well-defined electrochemical signal due to the characteristic solid-state Ag/AgCl process. The "immobilization-free", electrostatic interaction-independent electrochemical biosensor exhibited low background current, high sensitivity, and good stability. It has achieved the determination of PARP1 with a detection limit down to 0.7 mU. The biosensor was further applied to determine the inhibition efficiency of potential inhibitors with a satisfactory result. This method shows promising potential applications in PARP1-related clinical diagnosis and drug discovery.

Construction of a Dendritic Nanoassembly-Based Fluorescent Biosensor for Electrostatic Interaction-Independent and Label-Free Measurement of Human Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase 1 in Lung Tissues

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) is responsible for catalyzing the creation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymer and involved in DNA replication and repair. Sensitive measurement of PARP-1 is critical for clinical diagnosis. However, the conventional electrostatic attraction-based PAPR-1 assays usually involve laborious procedures, poor sensitivity, and false positives. Herein, we demonstrate the construction of a dendritic nanoassembly-based fluorescent biosensor for electrostatic interaction-independent and label-free measurement of human PARP-1 in lung tumor tissues. When PARP-1 is present, the specific double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)-activated PARP-1 transfers the ADP-ribosyl group from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)/biotinylated NAD+ to the PARP-1 itself, resulting in the formation of biotinylated dsDNA-PARP-1-PAR polymer bioconjugates that can be captured by magnetic beads. Upon the addition of TdT, APE1, and NH2-modified T-rich probe, the captured dsDNAs with dual 3'-OH termini initiate TdT-activated APE1-mediated hyperbranched amplification to produce abundant dendritic DNA nanoassemblies that can be stained by SYBR Green I to generate a high fluorescence signal. This biosensor is characterized by a template-free, electrostatic interaction-independent, high sensitivity, and label-free assay. It enables rapid (less than 3 h) measurement of PARP-1 with a limit of detection of 4.37 × 10-8 U/μL and accurate measurement of cellular PARP-1 activity with single-cell sensitivity. Moreover, it is capable of screening potential inhibitors and discriminating the PARP-1 level in normal person tissues and lung cancer patient tissues, with great potential in PARP-1-related clinical diagnosis and drug discovery.

Streptavidin-Conjugated DNA for the Boronate Affinity-Based Detection of Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1 with Improved Sensitivity

This work reports the development of a fluorescence method for the detection of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1), in which a phenylboronic acid-modified fluorescein isothiocyanate dye (FITC-PBA) was used to recognize the formed poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) polymer. The detection system was designed by conjugating recombinant streptavidin (rSA) with PARP1-specific double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) through streptavidin-biotin interaction. Capture of PARP1 via rSA-biotin-dsDNA allowed for the poly-ADP-ribosylation (PARylation) of both rSA and PARP1 in a homogeneous solution. The resulting rSA-biotin-dsDNA/PAR conjugates were then captured and separated via the commercialized nitrilotriacetic acid-nickel ion-modified magnetic bead (MB-NTA-Ni) through the interaction between NTA-Ni on MB surface and oligohistidine (His₆) tag in rSA. The PAR polymer could capture the dye of FITC-PBA through the borate ester interaction between the boronic acid moiety in PBA and the cis-diol group in ribose, thus causing a decrease in fluorescence signal. The PARylation of streptavidin and the influence of steric hindrance on PARylation efficiency were confirmed using reasonable detection strategies. The method showed a wide linear range (0.01~20 U) and a low detection limit (0.01 U). This work should be valuable for the development of novel biosensors for the detection of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases and diol-containing species.

Background-Quenched Aggregation-Induced Emission through Electrostatic Interactions for the Detection of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 Activity

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for cancers that can catalyze the poly-ADP-ribosylation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) onto the acceptor proteins to form long poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) polymers. Through integration with aggregation-induced emission (AIE), a background-quenched strategy for the detection of PARP1 activity was designed. In the absence of PARP1, the background signal caused by the electrostatic interactions between quencher-labeled PARP1-specitic DNA and tetraphenylethene-substituted pyridinium salt (TPE-Py, a positively charged AIE fluorogen) was low due to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer effect. After poly-ADP-ribosylation, the TPE-Py fluorogens were recruited by the negatively charged PAR polymers to form larger aggregates through electrostatic interactions, thus enhancing the emission. The detection limit of this method for PARP1 detection was found to be 0.006 U with a linear range of 0.01~2 U. The strategy was used to evaluate the inhibition efficiency of inhibitors and the activity of PARP1 in breast cancer cells with satisfactory results, thus showing great potential for clinical diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring.

Tailored Biosensors for Drug Screening, Efficacy Assessment, and Toxicity Evaluation

Biosensors have been flourishing in the field of drug discovery with pronounced developments in the past few years. They facilitate the screening and discovery of innovative drugs. However, there is still a lack of critical reviews that compare the merits and shortcomings of these biosensors from a pharmaceutical point of view. This contribution presents a critical and up-to-date overview on the recent progress of tailored biosensors, including surface plasmon resonance, fluorescent, photoelectrochemical, and electrochemical systems with emphasis on their mechanisms and applications in drug screening, efficacy assessment, and toxicity evaluation. Multiple functional nanomaterials have also been incorporated into the biosensors. Representative examples of each type of biosensors are discussed in terms of design strategy, response mechanism, and potential applications. In the end, we also compare the results and summarize the major insights gained from the works, demonstrating the challenges and prospects of biosensors-assisted drug discovery.

A label-free electrochemical assay for coronavirus IBV H120 strain quantification based on equivalent substitution effect and AuNPs-assisted signal amplification

A label-free electrochemical strategy is proposed combining equivalent substitution effect with AuNPs-assisted signal amplification. According to the differences of S1 protein in various infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains, a target DNA sequence that can specifically recognize H120 RNA forming a DNA-RNA hybridized double-strand structure has been designed. Then, the residual single-stranded target DNA is hydrolyzed by S1 nuclease. Therefore, the content of target DNA becomes equal to the content of virus RNA. After equivalent coronavirus, the target DNA is separated from DNA-RNA hybridized double strand by heating, which can partly hybridize with probe 2 modified on the electrode surface and probe 1 on AuNPs’ surface. Thus, AuNPs are pulled to the surface of the electrode and the abundant DNA on AuNPs’ surface could adsorb a large amount of hexaammineruthenium (III) chloride (RuHex) molecules, which produce a remarkably amplified electrochemical response. The voltammetric signal of RuHex with a peak near − 0.28 V vs. Ag/AgCl is used as the signal output. The proposed method shows a detection range of 1.56e⁻⁹ to 1.56e⁻⁶ μM with the detection limit of 2.96e⁻¹⁰ μM for IBV H120 strain selective quantification detection, exhibiting good accuracy, stability, and simplicity, which shows a great potential for IBV detection in vaccine research and avian infectious bronchitis diagnosis.

Single-Particle Assay of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 Activity with Dark-Field Optical Microscopy

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), over expression in vast majority of cancer cells, is a potential biomarker for clinical diagnosis. However, very limited detection methods have been developed so far, especially for in situ intracellular imaging. Here, we developed a spectral-resolved single-particle detection method for detection of PARP-1 in vitro and in situ intracellular imaging with dark-field microscopy (DFM). A gold nanoparticle (50 nm) modified with active DNA duplex (Au₅₀-dsDNA) was used as a scattering probe. Under the function of active dsDNA, PARP-1 catalyzed to synthesize the hyperbranched poly (ADP-ribose) polymer (PAR) by using nicotinamideadenine dinucleotide as substrates, forming Au₅₀-dsDNA@PAR. Then, negatively charged PAR adsorbed positively charged AuNPs (8 nm) to form Au₅₀-dsDNA@PAR@Au₈. As a result, a notable red shift occurred in localized surface plasmon resonance scattering spectra of Au₅₀, accompanying with obvious color change. Thus, PARP-1 has been detected with a linear range from 0.2 to 10 mU based on the scattering spectra change. The detection limit was 2 orders of magnitude lower than previously reported methods. Probes showed distinct different colors in cancer cells and normal cells, realizing in situ imaging of intracellular PARP-1 at a single-particle level. Compared with previously reported fluorescence imaging methods, the proposed strategy avoided sophisticated label procedures, which has great potential to be used for clinical diagnosis and PARP-1 inhibitor research.

High specificity and efficiency electrochemical detection of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 activity based on versatile peptide-templated copper nanoparticles and detection array

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) activity is closely related to tumor, which is a promising biomarker for cancer diagnosis. So far, only a few methods have been developed for PARP-1 activity assay because both PARP-1 and its catalytic products lack valuable optical or electrochemical property. Herein, we propose a more specific method to label probes on great deal of phosphate groups of PAR. Firstly, versatile peptides were used to prepare CuNPs. This peptide not only worked as reducing agent to prepare CuNPs but also had guanidine groups to label PAR autonomously and specifically. Unlike most previously reported methods based on unspecific electrostatic interactions, CuNPs probes covered by guanidine groups labelled PAR with phosphate groups via intense covalent-like interactions. On the other hand, PARP-1 catalyzed the formation of PAR in each isolated reaction container of the detection array, realizing the high-throughput detection and enhancing the detection efficiency. Ultimately, CuNPs were oxidized into Cu²⁺ and precisely detected by stripping voltammetry. Hence, selectivity and efficiency of PARP-1 detection were both improved. Meanwhile, this approach was successfully used to detect the efficiency of PARP-1 inhibitor and the PARP-1 contents in real cells, indicating its great potential for clinical diagnosis and high-throughput PARP-1 inhibitor screen.

Quartz Crystal Microbalance Detection of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 Based on Gold Nanorods Signal Amplification

Recent findings have thrust poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) into the limelight as a potential biomarker and chemotherapeutic target for cancer. Thus, a sensitive method for detection of PARP-1 is necessary for early diagnosis of cancer and drug development. However, the poor electrochemical and optical activity of PARP-1 and its product poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) prompted researchers to develop more methods. Here, we developed an efficient method for the determination of PARP-1 by using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) because it is mass-sensitive. Once activated by the specific DNA, PARP-1 cleaves nicotinamideadenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) into nicotinamide and ADP-ribose to synthesize a hyperbranched poly(ADP-ribose) polymer. Although QCM is mass-sensitive, it is not sensitive enough to discern PAR effectively. So, positively charged cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-coated gold nanorods (GNRs) were introduced to increase the frequency change significantly because of the strong electrostatic interaction between them with negatively charged PAR. PARP-1 ranging from 0.06 to 3 nM can be facilely detected with a low detection limit of 0.04 nM. The strategy has been used to evaluate PARP-1 inhibitors and to detect PARP-1 activity in real cancer cells lysate with satisfactory results, indicating that it was a promising candidate for clinical diagnosis and drug screening in the future.

A label-free PFP-based photoelectrochemical biosensor for highly sensitive detection of PARP-1 activity

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), as an original tumor marker, has aroused wide attention in recent years. However, only a few researches have been done for PARP-1 activity detection because PARP-1 is lack of optical or electrochemical property. In this work, a label-free and high-sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor for PARP-1 activity detection based on poly[9,9-bis(6'-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)hexyl]fluorenylene phenylene (PFP) has been designed. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that PEC has been used to monitor PARP-1 activity. PARP-1 were activated under the function of activated dsDNA, as a result, branched polymers of ADP-ribose (PAR) with plentiful negative charge were formed in the presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺). Subsequently, positively charged PFP with good photoelectrochemical properties, were absorbed on PAR via electrostatic interaction. High photocurrent was produced under light induction, which was depended on the PARP-1 activity. The biosensor has a wide linear range from 0.01 to 2 U with a detection limit of 0.007 U. The strategy has been applied in breast and ovarian cancer cells to detection PARP-1 activity with approving results, which signifies that it is a promising tool for clinical diagnosis.

Telomerase and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 activity sensing based on the high fluorescence selectivity and sensitivity of TOTO-1 towards G bases in single-stranded DNA and poly(ADP-ribose)

Telomerase and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) are two potential cancer biomarkers and are closely related to tumor initiation and malignant progression. TOTO-1 is well-known for differentiating ss-DNA from ds-DNA because it is virtually non-fluorescent without DNA and exhibits very low fluorescence with ss-DNA, while it emits strong fluorescence with ds-DNA. In this paper, for the first time, it was found that TOTO-1 has high fluorescence selectivity and sensitivity towards the G bases in single-stranded DNA and poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR). Poly(dG) was used as the model target to explore its possible mechanism. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation proved that intramolecular π-π stacking existed in TOTO-1 (in an aqueous solution), while intermolecular π-π stacking formed between TOTO-1 and poly(dG) in a similar way as that observed for dsDNA. Interestingly, telomerase and PARP-1 catalyzed the formation of G-rich DNA and PAR in vivo, respectively. Therefore, TOTO-1 was explored in detecting both of them, obtaining satisfactory results. To the best of our knowledge, no probe has been reported to recognize PAR. It is also the first time where telomerase is detected based on the specific recognition of G bases. Importantly, integrating multiple functions into one probe that can detect not only telomerase but also PARP-1 will significantly raise the specificity of screening cancer and decrease false positive proportion, which make TOTO-1 a promising candidate probe for clinical diagnosis and pharmaceutical screening.

Analysis of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 by enzyme-initiated auto-PARylation-controlled aggregation of hemin-graphene nanocomposites

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a highly conserved nuclear enzyme, which binds tightly to damaged DNA and plays a key role in DNA repair, recombination, proliferation, and genomic stability. However, due to the poor electrochemical and optical activity of PARP-1 and its product PAR, only a few studies on its activity detection method have been reported. Herein, we report a simple and sensitive colorimetric strategy to monitor PARP-1 activity based on enzyme-initiated auto-PARylation-controlled aggregation of hemin-graphene nanocomposites (H-GNs). PARP, activated by dsDNA, catalyzed its substrate nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to polymerize as a poly(ADP-ribose) polymer (PAR). PAR possesses several negative charges, and its charge density is twice that of a single-stranded DNA, which greatly impacts the dispersibility of H-GNs; due to their peroxidase-like catalytic activities, H-GNs can catalyze the chromogenic reaction of TMB and H2O2. As a result, in the presence of different PARP-1 activities, the supernatant of the corresponding solution contained different amounts of dispersed H-GNs and showed different colors after the chromogenic reaction that could be discerned easily by the absorbance or the color changes of the solution. The method was simple, sensitive, and reliable. The proposed method displays a linear range from 0.05 to 1 U with a detection limit of 0.03 U. In addition, this new method has been successfully applied to detect PARP-1 activity in human serum and different cancer cells and evaluate PARP-1 inhibitors.

Detection of PARP-1 activity based on hyperbranched-poly (ADP-ribose) polymers responsive current in artificial nanochannels

The cellular enzyme poly ADP (ADP: adenosine diphosphate)-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1) plays key roles in DNA repair. Its activity is closely related to various cancer developments. Detection of PARP-1 activity is significant, however, it is relatively difficult since it lacks superiority property that can be used to detect conveniently. PARP-1 lead to the synthesis of hyperbranched poly (ADP-ribose) polymers (PAR) using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) as substrate during DNA damage repairing. In this paper, we found that hyper-branched PAR increased the steric hindrance and reduced the flux of probe ions effectively in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanochannels. To the best of our knowledge, few papers have been reported that hyper-branched polymer has the similar effects in nanochannels as G-quadruplex DNA. Thus, a novel and simple strategy for PARP-1 detection has been proposed due to its great impacts on the diffusion flux of ferricyanide in AAO. It is also proved that electrostatic repulsion is another important factor to influence the current. The method is label-free, simple and sensitive. Quantitative detection of PARP-1 activity was achieved with the detection limit of 0.006 U, which is lower or comparable to the most reported methods. The method has good accuracy and reproducibility. The strategy has been used to detect PARP-1 activity in real breast cancer cells and to evaluate PARP-1 inhibitors with satisfactory results, indicating that it is a potential powerful tool for clinical diagnosis and drug development in the future.

Towards the electrochemical diagnostic of influenza virus: development of a graphene–Au hybrid nanocomposite modified influenza virus biosensor based on neuraminidase activity

An effective electrochemical influenza A biosensor based on a graphene–gold (Au) hybrid nanocomposite modified Au-screen printed electrode has been developed.

Peptide self-assembly assisted signal labeling for an electrochemical assay of protease activity

Peptide self-assembly holds tremendous promise for a range of applications in chemistry and biology. In the work reported here, we explored the potential functions of peptide self-assembly in electrochemical bioanalysis by developing a peptide self-assembly assisted signal labeling strategy for assaying protease activity. The fundamental principle of this assay is that target-protease-catalyzed specific proteolytic cleavage blocks self-assembly between the probe peptide and signal peptide, thus preventing the signal labeling of electroactive silver nanoparticles on the electrode surface, which in turn causes the electrochemical signal to decrease. Using trypsin as an example protease target, the linear range of this assay was found to be 1 ng mL^-1 to 100 mg mL^-1, and its detection limit was 0.032 ng mL^-1, which are better than the corresponding parameters for previously reported assays. Further experiments also highlighted the good selectivity of the assay method and demonstrated its usability when applied to serum samples. Therefore, this report not only introduces a valuable tool for assaying protease activity, but it also promotes the utilization of peptide self-assembly in electrochemical bioanalysis, as this approach has great potential for practical use in the future.

Supramolecular Chemistry-Assisted Electrochemical Method for the Assay of Endogenous Peptidylarginine Deiminases Activities

Peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) is the only isoform of PADs located within the cell nucleus, which has been known to be related to several human diseases. In this work, we have proposed an electrochemical method for the assay of endogenous PAD4 activities as well as the studies of PAD4 inhibitors by making use of the supramolecular chemistry-assisted signal labeling. Specifically, peptide probes P1 and P2, which separately contain cysteine residues and tripeptides FGG (Phe-Gly-Gly), can be self-assembled onto the surface of the gold electrode and silver nanoparticles, respectively. In the meantime, the peptide probes can be connected together through cucurbit[8]uril-mediated host-guest interaction. Nevertheless, after trypsin-catalyzed digestion, FGG at the N-terminal of P1 will be removed from the electrode surface, thereby inhibiting the connection of P1 and P2. Since PAD4 catalyzes the citrullination of arginine residue within P1, trypsin-catalyzed digestion of P1 can be prohibited by the addition of PAD4. Consequently, an obvious change of the electrochemical response can be obtained from the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) immobilized on the electrode surface. Experimental results have shown that our method can display an improved sensitivity and specificity for both PAD4 assay and inhibitor screening, which may effectively trace endogenous PAD4 and the inhibitors in the cancer cells. Therefore, our method may have great potential for the diagnosis and treatment of PAD4-related diseases in the future.