Analytical Sciences


Abstract − Analytical Sciences, 30(5), 561 (2014).

A Simple, Sensitive Colorimetric Assay for Coralyne Based on Target Induced Split G-quadruplex Formation
Yingya KAN, Cheng JIANG, Qiang XI, Xiangyu WANG, Lei PENG, Jianhui JIANG, and Ruqin YU
State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, P. R. China
The screening of potential drugs specifically binding to polydeoxyadenosine (poly(dA)) has been of great interest in recent studies. We have developed a simple colorimetric strategy through the mechanism of target induced split G-quadruplex formation for detecting coralyne, a poly(dA)-binding drug with noticeable antitumor activity. Two DNA oligonucleotides containing a split G-quadruplex sequence and an adenine-rich sequence are used in our strategy. In the presence of coralyne, the adenine-rich sequences of two oligonucleotides are drawn into close proximity, resulting in the formation of a split G-quadruplex DNAzyme that catalyzes the generation of a colored product. The DNAzyme-based colorimetric assay for coralyne has a linear range of from 0.033 to 1.667 μM with a low detection limit of 16 nM. The developed method is simple, cost-effective and visible; it holds great potential for applications in drug screening.