Label-free electrochemical detection of methyltransferase activity and inhibitor screening based on endonuclease HpaII and the deposition of polyaniline

Detection of DNA methylation and methyltransferase (MTase) activity are important in determining human cancer because aberrant methylation was linked to cancer initiation and progression. In this work, we proposed an electrochemical method for sensitive detection of DNA methylation and MTase activity based on methylation sensitive restriction endonuclease HpaII and the deposition of polyaniline (PANI) catalyzed by HRP-mimicking DNAzyme. In the presence of methylated DNA, HRP-mimicking DNAzyme catalyzed the polymerization of aniline on the dsDNA template, producing huge DPV current. In the presence of non-methylated DNA, dsDNA are cleaved and digested by HpaII and exonuclease III, as a result, no PANI are deposited. This method can be used to determine DNA methylation at the site of CpG. It exhibits a wide linear response toward M.SssI MTase activity in the range of 0.5–0.6UmL−1 with the detection limit of 0.12UmL−1. G-rich DNA forms HRP mimicking DNAzyme, which avoids complex labeling procedures and is robust. The method is simple, reliable, sensitive and specific, which has been successfully applied in human serum samples and been used to screen the inhibitors. Thus, the proposed method may be a potential and powerful tool for clinical diagnosis and drug development in the future. •Label-free electrochemical method is used for detection of MTase activity.•HRP-mimicking DNAzyme avoids complex labeling procedures and is robust.•Sensitivity is improved by Exo III and the limit of the detection is 0.12UmL−1.•The method is applicable to be used in serum samples and is accurate and specific.