Detection and Application of DNA Abasic Sites

Abstract

Abasic sites (apurinic/apyrimidinic or AP sites), a common lesion in DNA, are resulted from the cleavage of n-glycosylic bond, leaving deoxyribose residue in DNA. AP sites have emerged as the mutation/cancer markers and attracted great attention. A variety of analytical methods have been developed for the determination and quantification of AP sites in DNA, including P-32 post. labeling, LC-MS, and ELISA. In this article, we provided an overview on the recent development of the DNA AP site detection using synthetic chemical probes. Covalent chemical probes were designed and synthesized which showed high specificity toward a particular AP site structure. Signal report groups were directly attached to the probe either, or indirectly by affinity reactions. Alternatively, non. covalent probes with signal groups rely on the weak (hydrogen. bonding, electrostatic, base stacking) interactions with the AP site and the consequent signal modulation. In addition, the AP sites have been explored as a recognition element in the detection of small molecules and SNPs.