Recent advances in DNA glycosylase assays

ABSTRACT Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is selected as the ideal carrier for preserving and transmitting the genetic information over the course of evolution. However, the genomic DNA is constantly exposed to various endogenous and environmental threats, causing a diversity of damaged bases, lesions, mismatches and base-pair modifications in the genome, eventually leading to genomic instability and cancers. Base excision repair (BER) is the most important repair mechanism, repairing a variety of DNA damages arising from oxidation, alkylation, methylation, deamination, and hydrolysis reactions. DNA glycosylases are responsible for initiating the first step of the BER pathway through cleaving the N-glycosidic bond between the damaged base and the DNA backbone. However, abnormal DNA glycosylases are associated with a variety of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disease and inflammation, suggesting the important role of DNA glycosylases in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is highly desirable to monitor the activity of DNA glycosylases, gaining a deep understanding of the restoration process of damaged DNA and clinical diagnosis. Recently, a series of novel DNA glycosylases detection methods with excellent performance have been developed. In this minireview, we summarize the recent advances in DNA glycosylase assays including amplification-free assay and amplification-assisted assay. Firstly, a brief introduction of amplification-free assay for DNA glycosylase is given. Then, amplification-assisted assays for DNA glycosylases are discussed in detail. Ultimately, the conclusions and prospects of the directions of DNA glycosylase assays are provided.