1
Return

A CbAgo-enabled fluorescence assay for sensitive detection of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase

delete2026-08-11
delete0
PRE
AI
Z
Zhenyu Hu
J
Jiwei Zhang
X
Xueting Li
H
Hui Chen
X
Xiaopeng Wang
G
Guanghong Xu
S
Shun Zhu
Z
Zerong Li
W
Wenli Xia
F
Feng Liu *
DOI:10.1007/s00216-026-06721-wdelete
deleteOriginal
deleteOriginal request for help
deleteShare
deleteSave
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) has been recognized as an important biomarker for leukemia diagnosis and prognosis, as its abnormal overexpression is closely associated with malignant lymphoid proliferation and genomic instability. Accurate and sensitive detection of TdT activity is therefore of great significance for understanding polymerase-associated biological processes and supporting analytical and therapeutic research. However, conventional TdT detection methods often involve complex multi-step operations, long incubation times, or amplification reactions, which limit their efficiency and practicality. In this work, a one-pot fluorescence assay integrating TdT-mediated elongation with the programmable endonuclease Clostridium butyricum Argonaute (CbAgo) was developed for rapid, sensitive, and specific TdT activity analysis. In this coupled enzymatic cascade, TdT extends the 5′-phosphorylated A10 primer to generate poly(A) sequences, which hybridize with a fluorophore–quencher reporter to trigger CbAgo-catalyzed cleavage and produce a strong fluorescence signal. Benefiting from the DNA-guided, PAM-independent, and highly stable nature of CbAgo, the proposed system enables homogeneous detection with improved robustness compared with CRISPR-based methods. The assay achieves a detection limit of 6.6 × 10⁻4 U/µL and a linear range from 0.00002 to 0.01 U/µL, showing excellent selectivity, reproducibility, and satisfactory performance in complex biological matrices and cell lysates. This study demonstrates a simple and versatile fluorescence platform for efficient TdT activity quantification with high stability and operational simplicity.
Keywords:
Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase
CbAgo
One-pot assay
Fluorescence detection

Journal

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry cover
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
IF:
3.8
Papers:
1.8W
Citations:
3.5W

Organization

S
shenzhen international graduate school
Scholars:
81
Papers: 27
Citations: 0
S
School of Chemistry
Scholars:
683
Papers: 280
Citations: 0
Cited Papers

Cited Papers

Citing Papers

Citing Papers