Label/Quencher-Free Detection of Exon Deletion Mutation in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Gene Using G-Quadruplex-Inducing DNA Probe

Detection of exon 19 deletion mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, which results in increased and sustained phosphorylation of EGFR, is important for diagnosis and treatment guidelines in non-small-cell lung cancer. Here, we have developed a simple and convenient detection system using the interaction between G-quadruplex and fluorophore thioflavin T (ThT) for discriminating EGFR exon 19 deletion mutant DNA from wild type without a label and quencher. In the presence of exon 19 deletion mutant DNA, the probe DNAs annealed to the target sequences were transformed into G-quadruplex structure. Subsequent intercalation of ThT into the G-quadruplex resulted in a light-up fluorescence signal, which reflects the amount of mutant DNA. Due to stark differences in fluorescence intensity between mutant and wild-type DNA, we suggest that the induced G-quadruplex structure in the probe DNA can report the presence of cancer-causing deletion mutant DNAs with high sensitivity.