Enhancement of a prime editing system via optimal recruitment of the pioneer transcription factor P65

Prime editing is a versatile gene editing tool that enables precise sequence changes of all types in the genome, but its application is rather limited by the editing efficiency. Here, we first apply the Suntag system to recruit the transcription factor P65 and enhance the desired editing outcomes in the prime editing system. Next, MS2 hairpins are used to recruit MS2-fused P65 and confirmed that the recruitment of the P65 protein could effectively improve the prime editing efficiency in both the PE3 and PE5 systems. Moreover, this suggests the increased editing efficiency is most likely associated with the induction of chromatin accessibility change by P65. In conclusion, we apply different systems to recruit P65 and enhance the prime editing efficiency of various PE systems. Furthermore, our work provides a variety of methods to work as protein scaffolds for screening target factors and thus supports further optimization of prime editing systems.

Development of a novel label-free impedimetric electrochemical sensor based on hydrogel/chitosan for the detection of ochratoxin A

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most abundant mycotoxins that contaminate various food products. Herein, we propose a novel label-free impedimetric electrochemical sensor consisting of chitosan/dipeptide nanofibrous hydrogel and immobilized DNA probes with OTA aptamer for the detection of OTA. The thin film of chitosan/dipeptide nanofibrous hydrogel was used as sensing interface and carrier for hybridization chain reaction (HCR) of OTA aptamer and DNA2 strand to form DNA concatemer. The concatemer was dissociated to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in the presence of target OTA, and the signal amplification was further implemented by introducing RecJ_f exonuclease, which could digest the single-stranded DNA resulting in OTA recycle. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been employed to characterize the properties of the fabricated sensor. A linear detection range of 0.1-100 ng mL^-1 was obtained for OTA with a low detection limit of 0.03 ng mL^-1. Furthermore, the developed sensor was demonstrated in white wine to detect OTA, indicating that the proposed impedimetric sensor has a promising potential application in the food industry.

A graphene oxide-based fluorescence assay for the sensitive detection of DNA exonuclease enzymatic activity

The 3'-5' exonuclease enzyme plays a dominant role in multiple pivotal physiological activities, such as DNA replication and repair processes. In this study, we designed a sensitive graphene oxide (GO)-based probe for the detection of exonuclease enzymatic activity. In the absence of Exo III, the strong π-π interaction between the fluorophore-tagged DNA and GO causes the efficient fluorescence quenching via a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). In contrast, in the presence of Exo III, the fluorophore-tagged 3'-hydroxyl termini of the DNA probe was digested by Exo III to set the fluorophore free from adsorption when GO was introduced, causing an inefficient fluorescence quenching. As a result, the fluorescence intensity of the sensor was found to be proportional to the concentration of Exo III; towards the detection of Exo III, this simple GO-based probe demonstrated a highly sensitive and selective linear response in the low detection range from 0.01 U mL-1 to 0.5 U mL-1 and with the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.001 U mL-1. Compared with other fluorescent probes, this assay exhibited superior sensitivity and selectivity in both buffer and fetal bovine serum samples, in addition to being cost effective and having a simple setup.

One-step label-free chemiluminescent assay for determination of exonuclease III activity towards hairpin oligonucleotides

Fast label-free chemiluminescent assay for determination of exonuclease III (ExoIII) activity measured towards hairpin oligonucleotide substrates was developed. The designed substrates consisted of EAD2 aptamer to hemin which was associated with DNA sequence complementary to 5'-terminus fragment of EAD2. In the presence of ExoIII the associated sequence of the hairpin stem was digested, producing EAD2 aptamer which reacted with hemin with the formation of peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme (PMDNAzyme). The catalytic activity of the produced PMDNAzyme was measured towards luminol/H₂O₂. Under the optimized conditions the limit of detection and sensitivity of the one-step chemiluminescent assay of ExoIII were 7.3 nM and 1.7 × 10⁸ M^-1, respectively. The coefficient of variation (CV) was lower than 6%.

Systematic Probing of the Sequence Selectivity of Exonuclease III with a Photosensitization Colorimetric Assay

Exonuclease III (Exo III) is an important enzymatic tool that is being widely used in molecular biology, biotechnology, and bioassay development. Exo III prefers to cleave double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) with blunt and recessed 3'-termini rather than their protruding counterpart. While it has been accepted that a short 3'-overhang (e.g., >4 nt) is necessary to protect a dsDNA from Exo III cleavage, critical roles of the length and sequence of this 3'-overhang remain unexplored. Herein, we develop a novel light-induced colorimetric assay allowing the systematic probe of the sequence selectivity of Exo III in a rapid and high-throughput manner. Our finding that Exo III is highly specific to 3'-overhang in terms of both length and sequence will be valuable for guiding the design of bioassays and DNA manipulating tools mediated by Exo III.

A label-free ratiometric fluorescence strategy for 3′–5′ exonuclease detection

A label-free ratiometric fluorescent biosensor for detection of exonuclease was proposed through utilizing two individual DNA conformation-specific dyes (DAPI and NMM).

A novel label-free fluorescent molecular beacon for the detection of 3′–5′ exonuclease enzymatic activity using DNA-templated copper nanoclusters

A label-free biosensor was developed for highly sensitive and selective determination of Exo III based on poly(T) molecular beacon-templated CuNPs.

Aptamer-mediated universal enzyme assay based on target-triggered DNA polymerase activity

We herein describe an innovative method for a universal fluorescence turn-on enzyme assay, which relies on the target enzyme-triggered DNA polymerase activity. In the first target recognition step, the target enzyme is designed to destabilize detection probe derived from an aptamer specific to DNA polymerase containing the overhang sequence and the complementary blocker DNA, which consequently leads to the recovery of DNA polymerase activity inhibited by the detection probe. This target-triggered polymerase activity is monitored in the second signal transduction step based on primer extension reaction coupled with TaqMan probe. Utilizing this design principle, we have successfully detected the activities of two model enzymes, exonuclease I and uracil DNA glycosylase with high sensitivity and selectivity. Since this strategy is composed of separated target recognition and signal transduction modules, it could be universally employed for the sensitive determination of numerous different target enzymes by simply redesigning the overhang sequence of detection probe, while keeping TaqMan probe-based signal transduction module as a universal signaling tool.

Label-free fluorescence strategy for sensitive detection of exonuclease activity using SYBR Green I as probe

A label-free and sensitive fluorescence assay for exonuclease activity is developed using commercially available SYBR Green I (SG) dye as signal probe. A proof-of-concept of this assay has been demonstrated by using exonuclease III (Exo III) as a model enzyme. In this assay, double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) can bind SG, resulting in a strong fluorescence signal of SG. Upon the addition of Exo III, dsDNA would be digested, and SG emits very weak fluorescence. Thus, Exo III activity can be facilely measured with a simple fluorescence reader. This method has a linear detection range from 1 U/mL to 200 U/mL with a detection limit of 0.7 U/mL. This label-free approach is selective, simple, convenient and cost-efficient without any complex DNA sequence design or fluorescence dye label. The method not only provides a platform for monitoring activity and inhibition of exonuclease but also shows great potential in biological process researches, drug discovery, and clinic diagnostics.

Near-infrared fluorescence probe for the determination of acid phosphatase and imaging of prostate cancer cells

In this paper, we developed a near-infrared mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)-capped CuInS2 quantum dot (QD) fluorescence probe for the detection of acid phosphatases (ACP), which is an important biomarker and indicator of prostate cancer. The fluorescence of CuInS2 QDs could be quenched by Cu(2+), and then the addition of adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) could effectively turn on the quenched fluorescence due to the strong interaction between Cu(2+) and ATP. The ACP could catalyze the hydrolysis of ATP, which would disassemble the complex of Cu(2+)-ATP. Therefore, the recovered fluorescence could be quenched again by the addition of ACP. In our method, the limit of detection (LOD) is considerably low for ACP detection in solution. Using the CuInS2 QDs fluorescence probe, we successfully performed in vitro imaging of human prostate cancer cells.

A triple-color fluorescent probe for multiple nuclease assays

We develop a triple-color fluorescent probe which may function as a lab-on-a-DNA-molecule for simultaneous detection of multiple nucleases.