An enzyme-free electrochemical biosensor based on well monodisperse Au nanorods for ultra-sensitive detection of telomerase activity.

Efficient platforms for detecting telomerase activity are essential for early tumor monitoring and diagnosis. Herein, an enzyme-free electroanalytical strategy was developed for reliable and highly sensitive telomerase activity assay based on the increased electrochemical signals of methylene blue (MB) catalyzed by well monodisperse Au nanorods (AuNRs). In the presence of dNTPs and telomerase extracts, the assistant DNA 1 in the double stranded DNA can be extended to telomere repeat units (TTAGGG)n, which could form a hairpin structure by telomerase-triggered extension. The assistant DNA 2 was ingeniously dissociated from the double stranded DNA to combine with capture DNA. As a result, a large amount of AuNRs could be anchored on the surface of these sequences and used for electrocatalytic oxidation of MB. The developed biosensor showed a low limit of detection of 8.20 HeLa cells mL-1 and a wide dynamic range from 30 to 1.04 × 107 HeLa cells mL-1 for the determination of telomerase activity, which can provide a new way for telomerase activity assays in early diagnosis for cancers.