Spatiotemporal multicolor labeling of individual cells using peptide-functionalized quantum dots and mixed delivery techniques

Multicolor fluorescent labeling of both intra- and extracellular structures is a powerful technique for simultaneous monitoring of multiple complex biochemical processes. This approach remains extremely challenging, however, as it often necessitates the combinatorial use of numerous targeting probes (e.g., antibodies), multistep bioconjugation chemistries, different delivery strategies (e.g., electroporation or transfection reagents), cellular fixation coupled with membrane permeabilization, and complex spectral deconvolution. Here, we present a nanoparticle-based fluorescence labeling strategy for the multicolor labeling of distinct subcellular compartments within live cells without the need for antibody conjugation or cellular fixation/permeabilization. This multipronged approach incorporates an array of delivery strategies, which localize semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) to various subcellular structures. QD uptake is implemented in a spaciotemporal manner by staggering the delivery of QD-peptide composites and exploiting various innate (peptide-mediated endocytosis, peptide-membrane interaction, polymer-based transfection) along with physical (microinjection) cellular delivery modalities to live cells growing in culture over a 4 day period. Imaging of the different intracellular labels is simplified by the unique photophysical characteristics of the QDs in combination with Fo?rster resonance energy transfer sensitization, which allow for multiple spectral windows to be accessed with one excitation wavelength. Using this overall approach, QDs were targeted to both early and late endosomes, the cellular cytosol, and the plasma membrane in live cells, ultimately allowing for simultaneous five-color fluorescent imaging.     

Exploring Feasibility for Application of Luminescent CdTe Quantum Dots Prepared in Aqueous Phase to Live Cell Imaging

Due to the quantum confinement, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) show some unique and fascinating optical properties, such as, sharp and symmetrical emission spectra, high quantum yield (QY), good chemical and photo-stability. These excellent optical prop…     

Purification of denatured bovine serum albumin coated CdTe quantum dots for sensitive detection of silver(I) ions

CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized in aqueous solution with 3-mercaptopropionic acid as the stabilizer. Chemically reduced bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used to modify the surface of the QDs. Experimental results showed that the denatured BSA (dBSA) could be effectively conjugated to the surface of CdTe QDs. Column chromatography was used to purify the conjugates and determine the optimal ratio of dBSA to QDs. Further experimental results showed that the conjugation of QDs by dBSA efficiently improved the photoluminescence quantum yield, the chemical stability of QDs and their stability against photobleaching. A facile and sensitive method for determination of silver(I) ions was proposed based on the fluorescence quenching of the dBSA–QDs. Under the optimal conditions, the relative fluorescence intensity decreased linearly with the concentration of the silver(I) ions in the range 0.08–10.66 μM. The detection limit was 0.01 μM. This study provides a new method for the detection of metal cations. Figure In this work, denatured BSA was used to modify the surface of CdTe QDs by a simple and rapid method. And the conjugates of dBSA-QDs were purified by column of Sephadex G-100. After the purification of the conjugates, the sensitivity was greatly increased as silver (I) ions probe.     

Cellular Detection of a Mitochondria Targeted Brominated Vinyl Triphenylamine Optical Probe (TP−Br) by X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy

Triphenylamine (TP) derivatives such as two-branch cationic vinylbenzimidazolium triphenylamine TP−2Bzim are promising turn-on fluorescent probes suitable for two-photon imaging, labelling mitochondria in live cells. Here, we designed two TP−2Bzim derivatives as bimodal probes suitable for X-ray fluorescence imaging. The conjugation of the TP core with a rhenium tricarbonyl moiety in the TP−RePyta probe altered the localisation in live cells from mitochondria to lysosomes. The introduction of bromine on the TP core generated the TP−Br probe retaining good photophysical properties and mitochondria labelling in live cells. The influence of calcium channels in the uptake of TP−Br was studied. Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Fluorescence (SXRF) imaging of bromine enabled the detection of TP−Br and suggested a negligible presence of the probe in an unbound state in the incubated cells, a crucial point in the development of these probes. This study paves the way towards the development of TP probes as specific organelle stainers suitable for SXRF imaging.     

NHS Mediated CdTe Quantum Dots/Albumin Conjugates and Labeling C. Elegans

Introduction Incellbiology,fluorescenceprobesarewidely used.Organicdyes,mostcommonlyusedinfluores cenceprobes,sufferfromfastphotobleachingandbroad overlappingemissionlinessothattheyarelimitedin theirapplications.Progressinsemiconductornanocrys tals,orquan…     

Assembly of Graphene Nanosheets and SiO2 Nanoparticles Towards Transparent,Antireflective, Conductive,and Superhydrophilic Multifunctional Hybrid Films

A new approach for the fabrication of transparent, antireflective, conductive and superhydrophilic multifunctional hybrid films through the layer‐by‐layer (LbL) assembly of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets and SiO₂ nanoparticles is reported. The RGO nanosheets, SiO₂ nanoparticles and films were characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy, UV/Vis absorption spectrophotometry, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, contact angle/interface system, and a four‐point probe. It was found that the graphene/SiO₂ hybrid films exhibited a significant increase in transmittance as compared with RGO films. The optical, electronic and wetting properties of hybrid films could be manipulated by rational design of the film structure and variation of the cycle number of the LbL assembly. The obtained transparent, conductive, and superhydrophilic graphene/SiO₂ hybrid films showed excellent antireflective, antistatic, and antifogging behaviors. The remarkable performance could be attributed to the combination of electrical conductivity of RGO nanosheets and superhydrophilic antireflective surface derived from SiO₂ nanoparticles.     

Targeted cellular uptake and siRNA silencing by quantum-dot nanoparticles coated with β-cyclodextrin coupled to amino acids

Quantum dots (QDs) have the potential to serve as photostable beacons to track siRNA delivery, which is fast becoming an attractive approach to probe gene function in cells. In this paper, we synthesized QD nanoparticles coated with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) coupled to amino acids with different surface charges (positive, negative, and neutral) through direct ligand-exchange reactions and used them to deliver siRNA. We found that these QDs are diffluent in biological buffer with high colloidal stability and have strong optical emission properties similar to those of tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO)-coated QDs and also have a long fluorescence lifetime (12.5 ns for L-His-β-CD-coated CdSe/ZnSe QDs). The results of in vitro cytotoxicity and internalization of these modified QDs in normal and cancer cells showed that the β-CD coupled to amino acid outlayers greatly improved the biocompatibility of QDs, and conferred with lower cytotoxicity even at very high concentration. In particular, the L-His-β-CD-coated CdSe/ZnSe QDs presented lower cytotoxicity to these cells (CC(50) value is 180.6±3.4 μg mL(-1) in ECV-304 cells for 48 h). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed that the QDs were localized in vesicles in the cytoplasm of the cells. Furthermore, compared with existing transfection agents, gene-silencing efficiency of the modified QDs was slightly improved for HPV18 E6 gene in HeLa cells by gel electrophoresis analysis. Finally, the unique optical properties of QDs allow visible imaging of siRNA delivery in live cells. Taken together, our study not only provides new insights into the mechanisms of amino acid mediated delivery, but also greatly facilities the monitoring of gene-silencing studies.     

Poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone)‐Decorated Reduced Graphene Oxide with ZnO Grown In Situ as a Cathode Buffer Layer for Polymer Solar Cells

A ZnO@reduced graphene oxide–poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) (ZnO@RGO‐PVP) nanocomposite, prepared by in situ growth of ZnO nanoparticles on PVP‐decorated RGO (RGO‐PVP) was developed as a cathode buffer layer for improving the performance of polymer solar cells (PSCs). PVP not only favors homogeneous distribution of the RGO through the strong π–π interactions between graphene and PVP molecules, but also acts as a stabilizer and bridge to control the in situ growth of sol–gel‐derived ZnO nanoparticles on the surface of the graphene. At the same time, RGO provides a conductive connection for independent dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles to form uniform nanoclusters with fewer domain boundaries and surface traps. Moreover, the LUMO level of ZnO is effectively improved by modification with RGO‐PVP. Compared to bare ZnO, a ZnO@RGO‐PVP cathode buffer layer substantially reduces the recombination of carriers, increases the electrical conductivity, and enhances electron extraction. Consequently, the power conversion efficiency of an inverted device based on thieno[3,4‐b]thiophene/benzodithiophene (PTB7):[6,6]‐phenyl C₇₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM) with ZnO@RGO‐PVP as cathode buffer layer was greatly improved to 7.5 % with improved long‐term stability. The results reveal that ZnO@RGO‐PVP is universally applicable as a cathode buffer layer for improving the performance of PSCs.     

Fluorescent quantum dots for microbial imaging

QDs (Semiconductor QDs, CDs, SiQDs, and Pdots) are used in imaging microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, and fungi.     

Coenzyme Q functionalized CdTe/ZnS quantum dots for reactive oxygen species (ROS) imaging

Quantum dots (QDs) have been widely used for fluorescent imaging in cells. In particular, surface functionalized QDs are of interest, since they possess the ability to recognize and detect the analytes in the surrounding nanoscale environment based on electron and hole transfer between the analytes and the QDs. Here we demonstrate that fluorescence enhancement/quenching in QDs can be switched by electrochemically modulating electron transfer between attached molecules and QDs. For this purpose, a number of redox-active coenzyme Q (CoQ) disulfide derivatives [CoQC(n)S](2) were synthesized with different alkyl chain lengths (n=1, 5, and 10). The system supremely sensitive to NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and superoxide radical (O(2)(.)(-)), and represents a biomimetic electron-transfer system, modeling part of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. The results of our in situ fluorescence spectroelectrochemical study demonstrate that the reduced state of [CoQC(n)S](2) significantly enhanced the fluorescence intensity of CdTe/ZnS QDs, while the oxidized state of the CoQ conjugates quench the fluorescence to varying degrees. Fluorescence imaging of cells loaded with the conjugate QD-[CoQC(n)S](2) displayed strikingly differences in the fluorescence depending on the redox state of the capping layer, thus introducing a handle for evaluating the status of the cellular redox potential status. Moreover, an MTT assay (MTT=3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) proved that the cytotoxicity of QDs was significantly reduced after immobilization by CoQ derivatives. Those unique features make CoQ derivatived QDs as a promising probe to image redox coenzyme function in vitro and in vivo.     

Valence‐Engineering of Quantum Dots Using Programmable DNA Scaffolds

Precise control over the valency of quantum dots (QDs) is critical and fundamental for quantitative imaging in living cells. However, prior approaches on valence control of QDs remain restricted to single types of valences. A DNA‐programmed general strategy is presented for valence engineering of QDs with high modularity and high yield. By employing a series of programmable DNA scaffolds, QDs were generated with tunable valences in a single step with near‐quantitative yield (>95 %). The use of these valence‐engineered QDs was further demonstrated to develop 12 types of topologically organized QDs‐QDs and QDs‐AuNPs and 4 types of fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) nanostructures. Quantitative analysis of the FRET nanostructures and live‐cell imaging reveal the high potential of these nanoprobes in bioimaging and nanophotonic applications.     

Preparation of highly fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles for analytes-enrichment and subsequent biodetection

Bifunctional nanoparticles with highly fluorescence and decent magnetic properties have been widely used in biomedical application. In this study, highly fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles (FMNPs) with uniform size of ca. 40 nm are prepared by encapsulation of both magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and shell/core quantum dots (QDs) with well-designed shell structure/compositions into silica matrix via a one-pot reverse microemulsion approach. The spectral analysis shows that the FMNPs hold high fluorescent quantum yield (QY). The QYs and saturation magnetization of the FMNPs can be regulated by varying the ratio of the encapsulated QDs to MNPs. Moreover, the surface of the FMNPs can be modified to offer chemical groups for antibody conjugation for following use in target-enrichment and subsequent fluorescent detection. The in vitro immunofluorescence assay and flow cytometric analysis indicate that the bifunctional FMNPs-antibody bioconjugates are capable of target-enrichment, magnetic separation and can also be used as alternative fluorescent probes on flow cytometry for biodetection.     

NeuO: a Fluorescent Chemical Probe for Live Neuron Labeling

To address existing limitations in live neuron imaging, we have developed NeuO , a novel cell‐permeable fluorescent probe with an unprecedented ability to label and image live neurons selectively over other cells in the brain. NeuO enables robust live neuron imaging and isolation in vivo and in vitro across species; its versatility and ease of use sets the basis for its development in a myriad of neuronal targeting applications.     

谷胱甘肽和凋亡酶-3响应的环肽分子荧光探针

设计、合成了一类新型谷胱甘肽(glutathione,GSH)和凋亡酶-3(Caspase-3)响应的环肽分子荧光探针.该类探针主要由能量共振转移(FRET)分子荧光对、Caspase-3特异性识别多肽序列和GSH响应双硫键组成,分为不含穿膜肽序列(CP)和包含穿膜肽序列(cp CP)的两种不同环肽分子荧光探针.2种环肽分子荧光探针均能实现在GSH和Caspase-3同时存在情况下的精确成像,同时具有良好的响应性、特异性和高信噪比.该类环肽分子荧光探针在细胞培养环境中具有良好的稳定性和生物相容性.利用该探针,可以实现对星形孢菌素(STS)诱发的细胞凋亡进行实时、原位的成像监测,并对抗肿瘤药物阿霉素(DOX)和顺铂(cisplatin)诱导的细胞凋亡进行成像.这种具有多重响应并能用于精确成像的分子荧光探针将极大地促进疾病的精确诊断.     

Chelator‐Free Radiolabeling of Nanographene: Breaking the Stereotype of Chelation

Macrocyclic chelators have been widely employed in the realm of nanoparticle‐based positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, whereas its accuracy remains questionable. Here, we found that ⁶⁴Cu can be intrinsically labeled onto nanographene based on interactions between Cu and the π electrons of graphene without the need of chelator conjugation, providing a promising alternative radiolabeling approach that maintains the native in vivo pharmacokinetics of the nanoparticles. Due to abundant π bonds, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) exhibited significantly higher labeling efficiency in comparison with graphene oxide (GO) and exhibited excellent radiostability in vivo. More importantly, nonspecific attachment of 1,4,7‐triazacyclononane‐1,4,7‐triacetic acid (NOTA) on nanographene was observed, which revealed that chelator‐mediated nanoparticle‐based PET imaging has its inherent drawbacks and can possibly lead to erroneous imaging results in vivo.     

Characterization of CdTe/CdSe quantum dots-transferrin fluorescent probes for cellular labeling

In this paper, we prepared three types of transferrin-quantum dots conjugates (QDs-Tf) using three different methods (electrostatic interaction, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) coupling, denatured transferrin (dTf) coating). Fluorescence emission spectra, surface characteristics, zeta potentials of quantum dots (QDs) and QDs-Tf fluorescent probes were characterized by spectrophotometer, capillary electrophoresis, and dynamic light scattering. Fluorescent imaging of HeLa cells was also performed by QDs and QDs-Tf fluorescent probes. It was found that the fluorescence imaging performances of QDs-Tf probes prepared by electrostatic interaction and EDC coupling were better compared with the one prepared by dTf coating. Then a real-time single cell detection system was established to quantitatively evaluate cell labeling effects of QDs-Tf fluorescent probes. It was found that for cell labeling efficiency, the proportion of cells labeled by quantum dot probes to a group of cells, QDs-Tf probe prepared by EDC coupling showed the highest labeling efficiency (85.55 ± 3.88%), followed by electrostatic interaction (78.86 ± 9.57%), and dTf coating showed the lowest (40.09 ± 10.2%). This efficiency order was confirmed by flow cytometry results. This study demonstrated the relationship between conjugation methods and the resultant QDs-Tf probes and provided a foundation for choosing appropriate QDs-Tf probes in cell labeling.     

A versatile water soluble fluorescent probe for ratiometric sensing of Hg2+ and bovine serum albumin

A novel tetraazamacrocycle fluorescent sensor (6-(1-(dimethylamino)-5-naphthalene sulfonyl)-3,6,9,15-tetraazabicyclo[9.3.1] pentadeca-1(15),11,13-triene, 1) has been designed and prepared, which can be utilized for selective and ratiometric sensing of Hg(2+) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) with two different responsive modes in aqueous solution at physiological pH (50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.6). Above 0.5 ppb Hg(2+) can be discerned by coordination with 1 and the emission color changes enable 1 to be applied to a fast Hg(2+) test paper assay. Sensor 1 has also been demonstrated to be easily cell-penetrable and applicable for Hg(2+) imaging in living cells. Imaging of BSA in the gel using SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) stained in the medium containing 1 verified that the binding of 1 and BSA was successful in the presence of nonprotein substances. The linear range of 1 towards BSA utilizing ratiometric fluorescent calibration via noncovalent interaction in solution is 0-100 μg mL(-1) with a detection limit of 1 μg mL(-1), and has been successfully employed to determine the albumin concentration in blood serum by means of ratiometric fluorescent measurements for the first time. Finally, sensor 1 behaves as a fluorescent molecular switch composed of triple logic gates upon chemical inputs of Hg(2+) and BSA, which potentially provides intelligent diagnostics for Hg(2+) contaminated serum on the nanoscale.     

Study the damage of DNA molecules induced by three kinds of aqueous nanoparticles

In this paper, the interaction of DNA molecules with aqueous CdTe quantum dots (CdTe QDs), CdTe/SiO₂ composite nanoparticles (CdTe/SiO₂ NPs), and Mn-doped ZnSe quantum dots (Mn:ZnSe d-dots) was studied with ethidium bromide as a probe. The purpose of this work was to study the damage of DNA molecules induced by these three kinds of water-soluble nanoparticles. It was found that ionic strength, pH value and UV irradiation influenced the PL emission properties of CdTe QDs, CdTe/SiO₂ NPs and Mn:ZnSe d-dots, and also influenced the interaction of DNA molecules with them. Among the three kinds of nanoparticles, DNA molecules were most easily damaged by CdTe QDs whether in the dark or under UV irradiation. The CdTe/SiO₂ NPs led to much less DNA damage when compared with CdTe QDs, as a silica overcoating layer could isolate the QDs from the external environment. Mn:ZnSe d-dots as a new class of non-cadmium doped QDs demonstrated almost no damage for DNA molecules, which have great potentials as fluorescent labels in the applications of biomedical assays, imaging of cells and tissues, even in vivo investigations.     

石墨烯负载镍催化CO_2加氢甲烷化

采用改进的Hummers法制备了氧化石墨烯(GO),经水合肼还原得到石墨烯(RGO),通过浸渍法制备了石墨烯负载的镍基催化剂(Ni/RGO);对其催化二氧化碳甲烷化反应的性能进行了研究,并与以碳纳米管(CNTs)和活性炭(AC)为载体负载的Ni基催化剂进行了比较.由于催化剂的载体分别为RGO,CNTs和AC,所以Ni将会表现出不同的形态.利用红外光谱(FTIR)、比表面积(BET)测试、程序升温还原(H2-TPR)、X射线衍射(XRD)分析和透射电子显微镜(TEM)等表征手段对其结构及物理性质进行了表征.结果表明,Ni/RGO具有相对较大的比表面积(316 m~2/g),Ni在Ni/RGO上的颗粒尺寸(5.3 nm)小于其在Ni/CNTs(8.9 nm)和Ni/AC(11.6 nm)上的颗粒尺寸;该催化剂在二氧化碳甲烷化反应中具有更高的催化活性和选择性,而且具有良好的使用寿命.     

CdTe/CdS核壳量子点与蛋白质荧光标记

利用连续离子层吸附技术合成了水溶性的CdTe／CdS核壳量子点．通过CdS壳层的包覆,量子点的量子效率由原来的15％（裸核）提高到38％（核壳）,这种核壳结构量子点的化学和光学性质具有更好的稳定性,可以用于生物标记．本文采取共价连接与静电吸附两种方法,实现了量子点的生物标记,电泳技术已证明,应用这种量子点成功地实现了对蛋白质分子的生物标记．通过对量子点与蛋白质偶联前后的荧光光谱分析,发现量子点与蛋白质作用后荧光增强是由于蛋白质对量子点进行了表面修饰,从而降低了表面缺陷引起的非辐射跃迁几率所致．通过共价连接量子点的荧光峰位红移,主要是由于偶极-偶极相互作用引起的;量子点与蛋白质静电吸附作用引起的荧光峰位蓝移主要起因于量子点表面电荷量的降低．