Simple and Fast DNA-Based Tool to Investigate Topoisomerase 1 Activity, a Biomarker for Drug Susceptibility in Colorectal Cancer

With the increased effort for identification of anticancer compounds, there is a growing need for tools to investigate the activity of enzyme biomarkers. Human topoisomerase 1 is the only target of the camptothecin derivatives, and the cellular drug response depends on the enzyme activity. Here we use the colon cancer cell line Caco2 to investigate the topoisomerase 1 activity using a simple and improved version of our rolling circle enhanced enzyme activity detection, the REEAD assay. We present two fast readout methods that do not require the use of specialized training or equipment. In this setup, topoisomerase 1 converts specific DNA substrates to closed circles. The circles are amplified by rolling circle amplification in the presence of biotinylated nucleotides allowing for the detection of the products using horse radish peroxidase conjugated anti-biotin antibodies. The visualization occurs by either ECL or by color development through the precipitation of the TMB onto the surface. The presented readouts allow for fast and sensitive screening of topoisomerase 1 activity in extracts from Caco2 cells, potentially enabling the patients’ stratification and the prediction of the chemotherapeutic response for individualized treatment. For these reasons, we believe that the presented method would be easily adaptable to the clinical settings.