Emil L. Kristoffersen

Droplet Microfluidics Platform for Highly Sensitive and Quantitative Detection of Malaria-Causing Plasmodium Parasites Based on Enzyme Activity Measurement

We present an attractive new system for the specific and sensitive detection of the malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites. The system relies on isothermal conversion of single DNA cleavage-ligation events catalyzed specifically by the Plasmodium enzyme topoisomerase I to micrometer-sized products detectable at the single-molecule level. Combined with a droplet microfluidics lab-on-a-chip platform, this design allowed for sensitive, specific, and quantitative detection of all human-malaria-causing Plasmodium species in single drops of unprocessed blood with a detection limit of less than one parasite/μL. Moreover, the setup allowed for detection of Plasmodium parasites in noninvasive saliva samples from infected patients. During recent years malaria transmission has declined worldwide, and with this the number of patients with low-parasite density has increased. Consequently, the need for accurate detection of even a few parasites is becoming increasingly important for the continued combat against the disease. We believe that the presented droplet microfluidics platform, which has a high potential for adaptation to point-of-care setups suitable for low-resource settings, may contribute significantly to meet this demand. Moreover, potential future adaptation of the presented setup for the detection of other microorganisms may form the basis for the development of a more generic platform for diagnosis, fresh water or food quality control, or other purposes within applied or basic science.

Temperature-controlled encapsulation and release of an active enzyme in the cavity of a self-assembled DNA nanocage

We demonstrate temperature-controlled encapsulation and release of the enzyme horseradish peroxidase using a preassembled and covalently closed three-dimensional DNA cage structure as a controllable encapsulation device. The utilized cage structure was covalently closed and composed of 12 double-stranded B-DNA helices that constituted the edges of the structure. The double stranded helices were interrupted by short single-stranded thymidine linkers constituting the cage corners except for one, which was composed by four 32 nucleotide long stretches of DNA with a sequence that allowed them to fold into hairpin structures. As demonstrated by gel-electrophoretic and fluorophore-quenching experiments this design imposed a temperature-controlled conformational transition capability to the structure, which allowed entrance or release of an enzyme cargo at 37 °C while ensuring retainment of the cargo in the central cavity of the cage at 4 °C. The entrapped enzyme was catalytically active inside the DNA cage and was able to convert substrate molecules penetrating the apertures in the DNA lattice that surrounded the central cavity of the cage.

DNA-Based Sensor for Real-Time Measurement of the Enzymatic Activity of Human Topoisomerase I

Sensors capable of quantitative real-time measurements may present the easiest and most accurate way to study enzyme activities. Here we present a novel DNA-based sensor for specific and quantitative real-time measurement of the enzymatic activity of the essential human enzyme, topoisomerase I. The basic design of the sensor relies on two DNA strands that hybridize to form a hairpin structure with a fluorophore-quencher pair. The quencher moiety is released from the sensor upon reaction with human topoisomerase I thus enabling real-time optical measurement of enzymatic activity. The sensor is specific for topoisomerase I even in raw cell extracts and presents a simple mean of following enzyme kinetics using standard laboratory equipment such as a qPCR machine or fluorimeter. Human topoisomerase I is a well-known target for the clinically used anti-cancer drugs of the camptothecin family. The cytotoxic effect of camptothecins correlates directly with the intracellular topoisomerase I activity. We therefore envision that the presented sensor may find use for the prediction of cellular drug response. Moreover, inhibition of topoisomerase I by camptothecin is readily detectable using the presented DNA sensor, suggesting a potential application of the sensor for first line screening for potential topoisomerase I targeting anti-cancer drugs.

Optimized Detection of Plasmodium falciparum Topoisomerase I Enzyme Activity in a Complex Biological Sample by the Use of Molecular Beacons

The so-called Rolling Circle Amplification allows for amplification of circular DNA structures in a manner that can be detected in real-time using nucleotide-based molecular beacons that unfold upon recognition of the DNA product, which is being produced during the amplification process. The unfolding of the molecular beacons results in a fluorescence increase as the Rolling Circle Amplification proceeds. This can be measured in a fluorometer. In the current study, we have investigated the possibility of using two different molecular beacons to detect two distinct Rolling Circle Amplification reactions proceeding simultaneously and in the same reaction tube by measurement of fluorescence over time. We demonstrate the application of this fluorometric readout method, for automated and specific detection of the activity of the type IB topoisomerase from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in the presence of human cell extract containing the related topoisomerase I from humans. The obtained results point towards a future use of the presented assay setup for malaria diagnostics or drug screening purposes. In longer terms the method may be applied more broadly for real-time sensing of various Rolling Circle Amplification reactions.

Molecular Beacon Enables Combination of Highly Processive and Highly Sensitive Rolling Circle Amplification Readouts for Detection of DNA-Modifying Enzymes

Here we present an optimized readout format for detection of the circularized products from a DNA-based sensor for measurement of DNA-modifying enzymes including DNA Topoisomerase I. The basic design of the DNA-sensor relies on the use of a substrate that can be circularized by the activity of DNA-modifying enzymes like type IB Topoisomerases and subsequently amplified by a rolling circle amplification (RCA) mechanism. The RCA process can be followed in real-time by the addition of a molecular beacon with a fluorophore/quencher pair. Upon hybridization to the amplified product, the fluorophore/quencher pair is separated, giving rise to a fluorescent signal, measurable in pseudo real-time using a qPCR machine or in a fluorimeter. The RCA products in complex with the molecular beacon can subsequently be moved to microscopic slides and analyzed in a fluorescence microscope. We describe the proof of the principle of this molecular beacon-based method combining the qPCR readout format with the standard Rolling circle Enhanced Enzymatic Assay previously reported. Although the qPCR setup is less sensitive, it allows easy, fast, and high-throughput measurement of enzyme activities. Human Topoisomerase IB (TopIB) is a well-known target for the clinically used anticancer drugs of the camptothecin family. The cytotoxic effect of camptothecins correlates directly with the intracellular TopIB activity affecting reversibly the Topoisomerase/DNA cleavage complexes. Therefore, we envisioned that the presented method may find use for the prediction of cellular drug response and for drug screening to discover novel molecules that specifically inhibit TopIB or other DNA-modifying enzymes.

Interlinked DNA nano-circles for measuring topoisomerase II activity at the level of single decatenation events

Abstract DNA nano-structures present appealing new means for monitoring different molecules. Here, we demonstrate the assembly and utilization of a surface-attached double-stranded DNA catenane composed of two intact interlinked DNA nano-circles for specific and sensitive measurements of the life essential topoisomerase II (Topo II) enzyme activity. Topo II activity was detected via the numeric release of DNA nano-circles, which were visualized at the single-molecule level in a fluorescence microscope upon isothermal amplification and fluorescence labeling. The transition of each enzymatic reaction to a micrometer sized labeled product enabled quantitative detection of Topo II activity at the single decatenation event level rendering activity measurements in extracts from as few as five cells possible. Topo II activity is a suggested predictive marker in cancer therapy and, consequently, the described highly sensitive monitoring of Topo II activity may add considerably to the toolbox of individualized medicine where decisions are based on very sparse samples.

Microfluidics-based Single Cell Analytical Platforms for Characterization of Cancer

Individual cancer cells in a tumor are very diverse both genetically and functionally. Moreover, in many cancers, whether a tumor flourishes or dies after a given treatment depends on a small fraction of cells in the tumor, for instance, the cancer stem cells, rather than the bulk population. Traditionally, scientists only obtain averaged information from the entire population of cells in a bulk tumor, but it is critical to develop an effective and user-friendly platform capable of interrogating single cells in order to understand and treat the disease better. This chapter reviews recent progress of microfluidics-based tools for single cell analysis that are relevant for cancer characterization, as well as how nanotechnology may advance the analysis with improved signal responses. We hope that this general introduction may catalyze the adoption of these advanced single-cell analysis approaches for cancer studies.