Self-assembled nanoparticle probes for recognition and detection of biomolecules

Colloidal gold nanocrystals have been used to develop a new class of nanobiosensors that is able to recognize and detect specific DNA sequences and single-base mutations in a homogeneous format. At the core of this biosensor is a 2.5-nm gold nanoparticle that functions as both a nano-scaffold and a nano-quencher (efficient energy acceptor). Attached to this core are oligonucleotide molecules labeled with a thiol group at one end and a fluorophore at the other. This hybrid bio/inorganic construct is found to spontaneously assemble into a constrained arch-like conformation on the particle surface. Binding of target molecules results in a conformational change, which restores the fluorescence of the quenched fluorophore. Unlike conventional molecular beacons with a stem-and-loop structure, the nanoparticle probes do not require a stem, and their background fluorescence increases little with temperature. In comparison with the organic quencher Dabcyl (4,4'-dimethylaminophenyl azo benzoic acid), metal nanoparticles have unique structural and optical properties for new applications in biosensing and molecular engineering.     

A thermodynamic investigation into the binding properties of DNA functionalized gold nanoparticle probes and molecular fluorophore probes

We report the first quantitative analysis of the oligonucleotide binding thermodynamics for DNA functionalized gold nanoparticle probes and compare our findings to molecular fluorophore probes on a sequence-for-sequence basis. With proper design, nanoparticle probes show significantly increased binding over molecular fluorophore probes under identical conditions. This is significant because probe binding strength directly influences detection sensitivity limits.     

Converting a solvatochromic fluorophore into a protein-based pH indicator for extreme acidity

Live-cell pH measurements: An environment-sensitive fluorophore (green) was site-specifically introduced on HdeA, an acid-resistant chaperone showing pH-mediated conformational changes under low pH conditions. A survey of the attachment sites led to the discovery of one position on HdeA at which the attached fluorophore showed a strong fluorescence increase upon acidification.     

Synthesis and characterization of ratiometric nanosensors for pH quantification: a mixed micelle approach

Optical nanoparticle pH sensors designed for ratiometric measurements have previously been synthesized using post-functionalization approaches to introduce sensor molecules and to modify nanoparticle surface chemistry. This strategy often results in low control of the nanoparticle surface chemistry and is prone to batch-to-batch variations, which is undesirable for succeeding sensor calibrations and cellular measurements. Here we provide a new synthetic approach for preparing nanoparticle pH sensors based on self-organization principles, which in comparison to earlier strategies offers a much higher design flexibility and high control of particle size, morphology and surface chemistry.     

Energy transfer from a fluorescent hydrogel to a hosted fluorophore

The fluorescent properties of a new 1,3,5-cyclohexyltricarboxamide-based low-molecular-weight hydrogelator (1) derivatized with one hydrophobic fluorophore and two hydrophilic substituents have been investigated. Gels of 1 are composed of long, nonbranched fibers of uniform diameter, as shown by cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The aggregation of the naphthalene fluorophore moieties of the gelator molecules in the gel fibers favors the occurrence of a fast energy migration process that allows a very efficient sensitization of the fluorescence of a hosted fluorophore. Such processes have been investigated by the addition of propyldansylamide (PDNS), at two different concentrations, to gels of 1. Around 30% of the total PDNS added to the gels was found to be incorporated in the gel fibers, as confirmed by deconvolution of the fluorescence spectrum, excited-state lifetime measurements, and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements. Moreover, anisotropy measurements show that the fluorophore that is incorporated within the gel fibers is almost completely immobilized, indicating that the interactions of PDNS with the gelator moieties are very strong. This particular configuration of donor (1) and acceptor (PDNS) molecules leads to a very efficient antenna effect, where 50% of the absorbed photons are funneled through to the dansyl derivative when one PDNS molecule is incorporated in the gel fibers for every 100 gelator molecules. A 5-fold higher concentration of PDNS increases the percentage of funneled photons to 75%.     

Nanoparticle-based optical biosensors for the direct detection of organophosphate chemical warfare agents and pesticides

Neurotoxic organophosphates (OP) have found widespread use in the environment for insect control. In addition, there is the increasing threat of use of OP based chemical warfare agents in both ground based warfare and terrorist attacks. Together, these trends necessitate the development of simple and specific methods for discriminative detection of ultra low quantities of OP neurotoxins. In our previous investigations a new biosensor for the direct detection of organophosphorus neurotoxins was pioneered. In this system, the enzymatic hydrolysis of OP neurotoxins by organophosphate hydrolase (OPH) generated two protons in each hydrolytic turnover through reactions in which P-X bonds are cleaved. The sensitivity of this biosensor was limited due to the potentiometric method of detection. Recently, it was reported that a change in fluorescence properties of a fluorophore in the vicinity of gold nanoparticles might be used for detection of nanomolar concentrations of DNA oligonucleotides. The detection strategy was based on the fact that an enhancement or quenching of fluorescence intensity is a function of the distances between the gold nanoparticle and fluorophore. While these reports have demonstrated the use of nanoparticle-based sensors for the detection of target DNA, we observed that the specificity of enzyme-substrate interactions could be exploited in similar systems. To test the feasibility of this approach, OPH-gold nanoparticle conjugates were prepared, then incubated with a fluorescent enzyme inhibitor or decoy. The fluorescence intensity of the decoy was sensitive to the proximity of the gold nanoparticle, and thus could be used to indicate that the decoy was bound to the OPH. Then different paraoxon concentrations were introduced to the OPH-nanoparticle-conjugate-decoy mixtures, and normalized ratio of fluorescence intensities were measured. The greatest sensitivity to paraoxon was obtained when decoys and OPH-gold nanoparticle conjugates were present at near equimolar levels. The change in fluorescence intensity was correlated with concentration of paraoxon presented in the solution.     

Enhanced detection of gold nanoparticles in agarose gel electrophoresis

Gel electrophoresis is a powerful tool in gold nanoparticle (AuNP) research. While the technique is sensitive to the size, charge, and shape of particles, its optimal performance requires a relatively large amount of AuNP in the loading wells for visible detection of bands. We here describe a novel and more sensitive method for detecting AuNPs in agarose gels that involves staining the gel with the common organic fluorophore fluorescein, to produce AuNP band intensities that are linear with nanoparticle concentration and almost an order of magnitude larger than those obtained without staining the gel.     

Supramolecular hemoprotein-gold nanoparticle conjugates

Interaction of apohemoprotein with a covalently immobilized heme moiety onto a gold nanoparticle surface resulted in supramolecular hemoprotein-gold nanoparticle conjugates. The addition of an apohemoprotein dimer further led to a densely-packed hemoprotein-gold nanoparticle assembly, which was visualized by TEM and AFM measurements.     

Dynamic and static quenching of fluorescence by 1-4 nm diameter gold monolayer-protected clusters

How the efficiency of molecular quenching by Au nanoparticles depends on nanoparticle size is reported for (a) dynamic (collisional) quenching of four different fluorophores by three Au nanoparticles having similar protective layers but differing core diameters (1.1, 1.6, and 2.0 nm) and (b) static quenching in the electrostatic association between [Ru(bpy)3]2+ and five tiopronin-protected Au nanoparticles having core diameters from 1.3 to 3.9 nm. The quenching constants systematically increase with core size. In (a), the dynamic constants scale with the molar absorbance coefficients of the nanoparticles, showing the essentially of the absorbance/emission spectral overlap, and the associated nanoparticle core density of electronic states, in energy-transfer quenching. In (b), the fluorescence of the Au nanoparticle itself was enhanced by energy transfer from the [Ru(bpy)3]2+ fluorophore.     

Refractive index of sparse layers of adsorbed gold nanoparticles

Measurements are presented of the effective complex refractive index of a layer of gold nanoparticles adsorbed to a silicon wafer at low coverages. The measurements were made by means of variable-angle ellipsometry, and correlated with nanoparticle coverage determined from atomic force microscope images. The analysis establishes the effective refractive index of a uniform layer whose thickness equals the nanoparticle diameter. A simple empirical relationship is obtained for real component of refractive index as a function of the fractional nanoparticle coverage regardless of the nanoparticle size. The imaginary component also follows a simple relationship but only up to a certain coverage, above which it increases rapidly. These relationships may be useful in other contexts such as chemical or biosensors in which the nanoparticle coverage could be inferred from optical measurements such as ellipsometry, surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, reflectometry, or interferometry.     

Nanoparticle arrays patterned by electron-beam writing: structure, composition, and electrical properties

Direct electron beam writing in nanoparticle films is employed to create nanoscale wires between prepatterned gold electrodes on SiO(2)/Si wafers. Characterization of these nanowires using AFM, SEM, and EDX reveals a core/sheath morphology, where a gold-rich core is surrounded by a sheath which is mainly of carbon. Z-contrast STEM images indicate that the central core consists of a distribution of metal cores in a carbon network. The results suggest that the nanoparticle network is created through cross-linking of the ligands of adjacent particles. The high resistivities obtained in conductivity measurements are consistent with this picture. The work illustrates the ability to generate patterned nanoparticle arrays which can be addressed electrically.     

Cellular uptake mediated off/on responsive near-infrared fluorescent nanoparticles

Fluorescence imaging, utilizing molecular fluorophores, often acts as a central tool for the investigation of fundamental biological processes and offers huge future potential for human imaging coupled to therapeutic procedures. An often encountered limitation with fluorescence imaging is the difficulty in discriminating nonspecific background fluorophore emission from a fluorophore localized at a specific region of interest. This limits imaging to individual time points at which background fluorescence has been minimized. It would be of significant advantage if the fluorescence output could be modulated from off to on in response to specific biological events as this would permit imaging of such events in real time without background interference. Here we report our approach to achieve this for the most fundamental of cellular processes, i.e. endocytosis. We describe a new near-infrared off to on fluorescence switchable nanoparticle construct that is capable of switching its fluorescence on following cellular uptake but remains switched off in extracellular environments. This permits continuous real-time imaging of the uptake process as extracellular particles are nonfluorescent. The principles behind the fluorescence off/on switch can be understood by encapsulation of particles in cellular organelles which effect a microenvironmental change establishing a fluorescence signal.     

Dual-mode fluorophore-doped nickel nitrilotriacetic acid-modified silica nanoparticles combine histidine-tagged protein purification with site-specific fluorophore labeling

We present the first example of a fluorophore-doped nickel chelate surface-modified silica nanoparticle that functions in a dual mode, combining histidine-tagged protein purification with site-specific fluorophore labeling. Tetramethylrhodamine (TMR)-doped silica nanoparticles, estimated to contain 700-900 TMRs per ca. 23 nm particle, were surface modified with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), producing TMR-SiO2-NTA-Ni2+. Silica-embedded TMR retains very high quantum yield, is resistant to quenching by buffer components, and is modestly quenched and only to a certain depth (ca. 2 nm) by surface-attached Ni2+. When exposed to a bacterial lysate containing estrogen receptor alpha ligand binding domain (ERalpha) as a minor component, these beads showed very high specificity binding, enabling protein purification in one step. The capacity and specificity of these beads for binding a his-tagged protein were characterized by electrophoresis, radiometric counting, and MALDI-TOF MS. ERalpha, bound to TMR-SiO2-NTA-Ni++ beads in a site-specific manner, exhibited good activity for ligand binding and for ligand-induced binding to coactivators in solution FRET experiments and protein microarray fluorometric and FRET assays. This dual-mode type TMR-SiO2-NTA-Ni2+ system represents a powerful combination of one-step histidine-tagged protein purification and site-specific labeling with multiple fluorophore species.     

荧光团杂化纳米SiO2微球作为生物标记探针的应用研究

近年来 ,无机发光量子点[1,2 ] 、荧光纳米乳液微球[3 ,4 ] 及发光团掺杂 Si O2 纳米粒子[5] 等纳米荧光探针的出现 ,为生物标记提供了新的发展领域 .将有机染料以共价方式包埋在 Si O2 中所得的复合材料具有独特的光学性质 ,然而其在生物标记方面的应用并未得到重视[6 ,7] .本实验通过控制荧光团修饰的硅烷前体在反相胶束体系中的水解缩合 ,合成了用于生物染色和诊断的高灵敏度、高稳定性的新型荧光团杂化纳米 Si O2 微球 ( NFHS微球 ) .在 NFHS微球中 ,荧光团以共价方式地均匀分散在 Si O2 网络结构中 ,避免了与外界体系中溶解氧的…     

Role of nanoparticle surface charge in surface-enhanced Raman scattering

In this work, the role of nanoparticle surface charge in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is examined for the common case of measurements made in colloidal solutions of Ag and Au. Average SERS intensities obtained for several analytes (salicylic acid, pyridine, and 2-naphthalenethiol) on Ag and Au colloids are correlated with the pH and zeta potential (zeta) values of the nanoparticle solutions from which they were recorded. The consequence of the electrostatic interaction between the analyte and the metallic nanoparticle is stressed. The zeta potentials of three commonly used colloidal solutions are reported as a function of pH, and a discussion is given on how these influence SERS intensity. Also examined is the importance of nanoparticle aggregation (and colloidal solution collapse) in determining SERS intensities, and how this varies with the pH of the solution. The results show that SERS enhancement is highest at zeta potential values where the colloidal nanoparticle solutions are most stable and where the electrostatic repulsion between the particles and the analyte molecules is minimized. These results suggest some important criteria for consideration in all SERS measurements and also provide important insights into the problem of predicting SERS activities for different molecular systems.     

新型有机荧光染料嵌合的核壳荧光纳米材料的研制

采用油包水的反相微乳液方法,首次以羊抗人免疫球蛋白(IgG)标记的异硫氰酸荧光素(FITC)为核材料,成功地制备了FITC的核壳荧光纳米颗粒,克服了采用传统方法制备核壳荧光纳米颗粒中存在的荧光染料泄露的问题.制备的这种核壳荧光纳米颗粒比细胞小很多,且具有生物亲和性,可为纳米生物传感器件提供新型材料.基于该核壳荧光纳米颗粒的标记方法也为生物医学提供了一种新型的非同位素分析方法.     

Absorption and emission spectra of fluorescent silica nanoparticles from TD-DFT/MM/PCM calculations

A multi-scale computational protocol, which combines Quantum Mechanics and Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM) calculations with the polarisable continuum model (PCM), has been used to study the tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate (TRITC) fluorophore, embedded in three different environments, namely in water, on an amorphous silica surface and covalently encapsulated in a silica nanoparticle (C dot). Absorption and emission spectra have been simulated by using TD-B3LYP/PCM calculations, performed on the TRITC ground and excited state geometries, optimized at the QM/MM level. The results are in good agreement with experimental data confirming the caging effect played by the silica shell on the mobility of the TRITC molecule when covalently encapsulated in silica nanoparticles. This could result in a decrease of the nonradiative decay rate and thus an increase of the quantum yield of the molecule.     

Polymer nanoparticles as fluorescent labels in a fluoroimmunoassay for human chorionic gonadotropin

A sensitive fluoroimmunoassay (FIA) was developed for the determination of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG). It is based on fluorescent polymer nanoparticles (PFNPs) coated with anti-β-HCG monoclonal antibodies in a sandwich type of fluoroimmunoassay. The PFNPs were synthesized by precipitation polymerization using methacrylic acid (MAA) as the monomer, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate as the cross-linker, azobisisobutyronitrile as the radical initiator, and fluorescein as the fluorophore. Anti-β-HCG monoclonal antibody was labeled with the PFNPs and then used in a FIA of β-HCG in human serum samples using low-fluorescent transparent 96-well microtiter plates. The calibration graph for β-HCG is linear over the range from 1.25 to 300 mIU mL-¹ with a detection limit of 0.3 mIU mL-¹ (3σ). The relative standard deviation for seven parallel measurements of 10 mIU mL-¹ of β-HCG is 3.8%. The method has the specificity of an immunoassay and the sensitivity of fluorescent nanoparticle label technology.     

On-line monitoring of composite nanoparticles synthesized in a pre-industrial laser pyrolysis reactor using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was employed for on-line and real time process monitoring during nanoparticle production by laser pyrolysis. Laser pyrolysis has proved to be a reliable and versatile method for nanoparticle production. However, an on-line and real time monitoring system could greatly enhance the process optimization and accordingly improve its performances. For this purpose, experiments aiming at demonstrating the feasibility of an on-line monitoring system for silicon carbide nanoparticle production using the LIBS technique were carried out. Nanosecond laser pulses were focused into a cell through which part of the nanoparticle flux diverted from the production process was flowed for LIBS analysis purposes. The nanoparticles were vaporized within the laser-induced plasma created in argon used as background gas in the process. Temporally-resolved emission spectroscopy measurements were performed in order to monitor nanoparticle stoichiometry. Promising results were obtained and on-line Si/C_x stoichiometry was successfully observed. These results put forward the possibility of real time correction of the nanoparticle stoichiometry during the production process.