Triggerable peroxidase-tagged primer enables naked eye monitoring of PCR amplification

Abstract The guanine quadruplex structure, formed within guanine-rich sequences, demonstrates peroxidase-like activity when bound to a hemin-like small molecule. This property has been used for nucleic acid detection. We present a method using a guanine quadruplex-based triggerable peroxidase-tagged primer, where an unpaired adenine base in synthesized strands activates the peroxidase activity of the guanine quadruplex–hemin complex. This approach enables sensitive, visual detection of target DNA through naked-eye observation, eliminating the need for PCR product purification.