An electrochemical method to evaluate p53 C-terminal domain acetylation on its DNA binding ability

In this work, an electrochemical method has been developed to evaluate the DNA binding efficiency of p53 C-terminal domain (CTD) after acetylation. Firstly, peptides derived from the CTD of p53 with single or multiple acetylated lysine residues are immobilized on an electrode surface. Then, ferrocene (Fc) labeled dsDNA probe bind with the p53 CTD and give different electrochemical response corresponding to the acetylation degree. Consequently, the electrochemical signals can clearly distinguish a different extent of p53 CTD acetylation on its DNA binding ability. Experimental results also show that acetylation of p53 CTD may enhance its DNA binding ability which is positively correlated with the acetylated lysine residue numbers. This electrochemical method is simple, which may provide a novel method to study protein modifications in the future. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.