Selective detection of catecholamines by synthetic receptors embedded in chromatic polydiacetylene vesicles

A new detection scheme for catecholamines was constructed through embedding synthetic receptors within vesicles comprising phospholipids and polydiacetylene. Fluorescence emission of the polydiacetylene was induced through specific interactions between the soluble ligands and the vesicle-incorporated hosts. The system demonstrated remarkable selectivity among structurally similar ligands and achieved much lower detection thresholds compared to that of other reported catecholamine sensors. The chromatic assembly provides a generic route for high sensitivity detection of ligand-receptor interactions.     

Effect of amphiphilic molecules upon chromatic transitions of polydiacetylene vesicles in aqueous solutions

Effect of amphiphilic molecules upon the chromatic transitions of polymerized 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) vesicles in aqueous solutions was reported. The colorimetric response of polymerized PCDA vesicles for 1-pentanol is higher than that for ethanol due to more hydrophobic property of 1-pentanol. The colorimetric response of polymerized PCDA vesicles for sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Triton X-100 is lower than that for cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The strong ability of CTAB to induce chromatic transition of the vesicles is related to the positively charged headgroups of CTAB, which favors approach of CTAB to the negatively charged carboxylate groups at the vesicle surface. The insertion of alkyl chain of CTAB into the hydrophobic domain perturbs the conformation of the conjugated polymer backbone and induces color change of polydiacetylene vesicles. For a series of alkylamine hydrochloric salts, the longer the alkyl chain, the stronger the ability of alkylamine to induce chromatic transition of polydiacetylene vesicles.     

Colorimetric detection and fingerprinting of bacteria by glass-supported lipid/polydiacetylene films

Glass-supported films of lipids and polydiacetylene were applied for visual detection and colorimetric fingerprinting of bacteria. The sensor films comprise polydiacetylene domains serving as the chromatic reporter interspersed within lipid monolayers that function as a biomimetic membrane platform. The detection schemes are based on either visible blue-red transitions or fluorescence transformations of polydiacetylene, induced by amphiphilic molecules secreted by proliferating bacteria. An important feature of the new film platform is the feasibility of either naked-eye detection of bacteria or color analysis using conventional scanners. Furthermore, we find that the degrees of bacterially induced color transformations depend both on the bacterial strains examined and the lipid compositions of the films. Accordingly, bacterial fingerprinting can be achieved through pattern recognition obtained by recording the chromatic transformations in an array of lipid/PDA films having different lipid components.     

联乙炔囊泡——一种基于分子组装的生物分子识别器件

有序排列的联乙炔分子,在紫外光照射下发生聚合。聚联乙炔（PDA）线性骨架的离域π电子,在可见光区产生π-π* 跃迁,显示特有的蓝色。聚联乙炔囊泡表面的分子探针（受体）在遇到可识别的生物大分子（如DNA,抗体-抗原和细菌等）的配体时,可使其颜色从蓝色转变为红色,有时能产生荧光。这种囊泡将检测与显示集为一体,是一种典型的生物分子器件,近年来已被用于很多物质的测定,其中包括病毒、细菌、亲脂性酶、抗菌肽类、哺乳动物肽类、离子、抗体、蛋白质和寡核苷酸等。此外,聚合囊泡还可以与金结合形成空心金球,可以作为一种三维纳米金的载体,对DNA的固定、识别和分离具有极为诱人的应用前景。通过对各种影响因素的研究和检测条件的改进,聚联乙炔生物传感器的灵敏度和选择性还能进一步提高,具有广阔的应用前景。     

Polymerized vesicles containing molecular recognition sites

Vesicles are prepared from diacetylenic peptide amphiphiles that expose a molecular recognition site at the surface. The amphiphiles can be polymerized using UV light, and the resulting polymeric vesicles exhibit interesting chromatic responses that can be used for label-free detection of the interaction with a distinct protein in solution.     

A new colorimetric platform for ultrasensitive detection of protein and cancer cells based on the assembly of nucleic acids and proteins

An amplified colorimetric method has been developed for the detection of protein and cancer cells based on the assembly of nucleic acids and proteins for the first time. In this process, the assembly of nucleic acids was triggered by a biotinylated DNA strand after a sandwich immunoreaction. The biotinylated DNA strand and sandwich immunocomplex were connected by streptavidin. Then, the assembly of biotinylated bovine serum albumin (Biotin-BSA) and streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase (SA-HRP) occurred at a node of the assembled products of nucleic acids through the biotin-streptavidin reaction. Under the catalysis of horseradish peroxidase, 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) was oxidized by H₂O₂ and the oxidized product was analyzed by its UV–vis absorbance signal and sensitive colorimetric detection. This colorimetric sensor could not only achieve the quantitative determination of protein by UV–vis absorbance but could also be applied for semiquantitative determination by digital visualization. Using alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) as the model target, this proposed colorimetric method showed a wide linear range from 5 pg/mL to 1 ng/mL with a detection limit of 1.95 pg/mL by the instrument, and even 5 pg/mL target protein could be distinguished simply by the naked eye. This approach was then expanded to detect cancer cells based on the recognition of folic acid receptors that were over-expressed on the cancer cells by folic acid-tethered DNA. More importantly, this strategy can be further used as a universal colorimetric method for the determination of viruses or other proteins by changing the corresponding antibodies.     

Microbead-assisted PDA sensor for the detection of genetically modified organisms

A simple and sensitive approach for the detection of marker protein, phosphinothricin acetyltransferase, from genetically modified crops was developed based on the colorimetric transition of polydiacetylene (PDA) vesicles in combination with silica microbeads. PDAs have attracted a great deal of interests as a transducing material due to their special features that allow colorimetric response to sensory signals, as well as their inherent simplicity. However, most PDA-based biosensors require additional analytical equipment such as a fluorescence microscope or UV–Vis spectrometer. In this study, we report a new approach to increase the degree of color transition by coupling antibody-conjugated PDA vesicles with silica microbeads in an effort to monitor the results with the unaided eye or simple RGB analysis. By immobilizing PDA vesicles on silica microbeads, we were able to overcome the disadvantages of colloidal PDA-based sensors and increase the degree of colorimetric changes in response to target molecules to a concentration as low as 20 nM. The additional stresses were given to PDA vesicles by antigen–antibody bridging of PDA vesicles coupled with microbeads, resulting in enhanced blue–red color transition. All the results showed that PDA vesicles in conjunction with silica microbeads will be a promising transducing material for the detection of target proteins in diagnostic and biosensing applications.     

Order-Disorder Transition of Carboxyl Terminated Chains in Polydiacetylenes Vesicles Probed by Second Harmonic Generation and Two-Photon Fluorescence

To understand and control the interfacial properties of polydiacetylenes (PDAs) vesicles with π-conjugated backbone is very important for their colorimetric sensing of chemical and biological targets. In this work, we adopted 10, 12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) as the model molecule to prepare PDAs vesicles in aqueous solution with different forms (from monomer to blue-to-purple-to-red phase) by controlling the UV irradiation dose. The variations of the interfacial conformation of PDAs vesicles during chromatic transitions were inspected by the adsorption behaviors of probe molecules (4-(4-diethylaminostyry)-1-methylpyridinium iodide, D289) on vesicle surface with surface-specific second harmonic generation (SHG) and zeta potential measurements. Resonant SHG signal from D289 adsorbed on vesicle surface attenuated sharply, and the adsorption free energy as well as the corresponding two-photon fluorescence signal decreased slightly in chromatic transitions. While, the change in the surface density of the adsorbed D289 molecules for PDAs vesicles with different forms was relatively small as estimated from zeta potential measurements. The attenuation of the SHG intensity was thus attributed to the overall order-disorder transition and the changed orientation of D289 molecules caused by the gradual distortion of carboxyl head group driven by backbone perturbation.     

Formation and activity of template-assembled receptor signaling complexes

Problems in membrane biology require methods to recreate the interactions between receptors and cytoplasmic signaling proteins at the membrane surface. Here, unilamellar vesicles composed of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and a nickel-chelating lipid were used as templates to direct the assembly of proteins from the Escherichia coli chemotaxis signaling pathway. The bacterial chemoreceptors are known to form clusters, which promote the binding of the adaptor protein (CheW) and the kinase (CheA). When CheA was incubated with vesicles, CheW, and a histidine-tagged cytoplasmic domain fragment of the aspartate chemoreceptor (CF), the kinase activity was stimulated approximately 300-fold. Activity and pull-down assays were used with dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy to characterize the protein-vesicle compositions that were correlated with the high levels of activity, which demonstrated that CF-CheW-CheA complexes on the vesicle surface were the active entities. Assembly and stimulation occurred with vesicles of different sizes and CFs in different extents of glutamine substitution (in place of glutamate) at physiologically relevant sites. An exception was the combination of sonicated vesicles with the unsubstituted CF, which displayed lower CheA activity. The lower activity was attributed to the high curvature of the sonicated vesicles and a weaker tendency of the unsubstituted CF to self-assemble. Electron micrographs of the vesicle-protein assemblies revealed that protein binding induced pronounced changes in vesicle shape, which was consistent with the introduction of positive curvature in the outer leaflet of the bilayer. Overall, vesicle-mediated template-directed assembly is shown to be an effective way to form functional complexes of membrane-associated proteins and suggests that significant changes in membrane shape can be involved in the process of transmembrane signaling.     

Ultrasensitive and selective colorimetric detection of thiourea using silver nanoprobes

A novel colorimetric thiourea (TU) sensor was developed utilizing citrate modified silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The introduction of TU reduced the overall surface charges of the AgNPs, resulting in aggregation of AgNPs and a colorimetric response correlating with the concentration of TU. The detection of TU could be realized within 2 min, with an ultralow detection limit of 0.8 nM by the absorption method. In addition, the AgNPs sensor also showed good selectivity in the presence of potential interfering compounds. Since common steps such as modification and separation could be successfully avoided, the sensor developed here could provide a simple, cost-effective yet rapid and sensitive measurement tool for TU detection, and may provide new opportunities in the development of sensors for food safety and environmental monitoring in the future.     

人血清中cTnI的化学发光酶免疫分析研究——实验条件的优化

采用高效化学发光试剂3-(2'-螺旋金刚烷)-4-甲氧基-4-(3"-羟基)苯-1,2-二氧杂环丁烷磷酸(AMPPD)作为检测底物, 并将传统的ELISA两步双抗夹心法改为一步法, 得到了高灵敏测定人血清中心肌肌钙蛋白I(cTnI)的化学发光酶免疫分析优化条件. 采用单因素变化法和方阵滴定法得到的最佳实验条件为: 捕获抗体包被浓度为10.0 μg/mL, 以pH=7.0的PBS作为免疫反应缓冲底液, 以含质量分数为1.0%的BSA pH=9.6的碳酸盐溶液缓冲液, 于4 ℃封闭过夜, 生物素-检测抗体(Biotin-IgG2)以及碱性磷酸酶-亲和素(ALP-Avidin)结合物均采用1:2000稀释度, 免疫反应条件为37 ℃, 孵育时间60 min, 以去离子水作为洗涤剂, 以1:100稀释的AMPPD作为发光反应底物, 发光反应时间10 min(37 ℃). 检出限为0.02 ng/mL, 比现行ELISA法灵敏度提高一个数量级; 测定周期约75 min, 比两步法ELISA快得多; 线性范围(0.04~36.20 ng/mL)比ELISA法扩宽了两个数量级; 加标回收率97.5%~102.8%, 对标准样品的测定结果与用ELISA法的测定结果吻合; 重复性好, 3个样品批内变异系数均小于8.5%(n=12).     

Copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition in the synthesis of polydiacetylene: "click glycoliposome" as biosensors for the specific detection of lectins

Supramolecular self-assembly of conjugated diacetylenic amphiphile-tethered ligands photopolymerize to afford polydiacetylene (PDA) functional liposomes. Upon specific interaction with a variety of biological analytes in aqueous solution, PDA exhibits rapid colorimetric transitions. The PDA nanoassemblies, which are excellent membrane mimics, include an ene-yne polymeric reporter responsible for the chromatic transitions and the molecular recognition elements that are responsible for selective and specific binding to the biological target. A bottleneck in the fabrication of these colorimetric biosensors is the preparation of the diacetylenic monomer embedded with the recognition element of choice. In the present work, we make use of copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) as key step in the preparation of sugar-coated liposome biosensors. The regioselective click ligation of the triacetylenic N-(2-propynyl)pentacosa-10,12-diynamide (NPPCDAM) with a variety of mannose- and lactose-tethered azides afforded chemo- and regioselectively the corresponding 1,2,3-triazole. The obtained diacetylenic monomers were incorporated efficiently into vesicles to afford functional mannose- and lactose-coated glycoliposomes. The obtained PDA-based click glycoliposomes have been characterized by using transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The efficiency of the reported approach was demonstrated by the rapid optimization of the hydrophilic spacer between the lipidic matrix and the mannose head group for the colorimetric detection of Concavalin A.     

Direct colorimetric study on the interaction of Escherichia coli with mannose in polydiacetylene Langmuir–Blodgett films

The membranes of polydiacetylene backbone decorated with mannose assembled by Langmuir–Blodgett technology can interact with Escherichia coli. The interactions lead to the color transition of the membranes which was readily visible to the naked eyes and could be quantified by visible absorption spectroscopy. To understand the mechanism of the chromatic transition, the affinochromism properties of polydiacetylene were examined by resonance Raman spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that the side chains of polymer backbone performed rearrangement, and the electronic structure in the polymer backbone changed from acetylene to butatriene form when the chromatic transformation from blue to red. The direct colorimetric detection by polydiacetylene membranes not only opens a new path for the use of these membranes in the area of biosensor development but also offers new possibilities for diagnostic applications and screening for binding ligand.     

Size effect of polydiacetylene vesicles functionalized with glycolipids on their colorimetric detection ability

In this paper, the size effect of the polydiacetylene vesicles functionalized with glycolipids on their colorimetric detection ability has been studied. Polydiacetylene vesicles in which were incorporated glycolipids acted as a model system for the affinochromatic property. Visible color changes from blue to red could be observed to the naked eye owing to Con A binding to the sugar moiety and be detected quantitatively by the visible absorption spectrum. In the experiment, small and uniform vesicles were obtained after extrusion through membranes with different pore sizes. The morphology and mean size distribution of the extruded vesicles were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), respectively. Our work shows that the smaller the vesicles are, the stronger is the effect, making the detection of Con A easier. The results may apply to the sensitivity enhancement of polydiacetylene biosensors for the recognition of other biomolecules.     

Interconnected ordered nanoporous networks of colloidal crystals integrated on a microfluidic chip for highly efficient protein concentration

We report a controllable method to fabricate silica colloidal crystals at defined position in microchannel of microuidic devices using simple surface modification. The formed PCs (photonic crystals) in microfluidic channels were stabilized by chemical cross-linking of Si-O-Si bond between neighboring silica beads. The voids among colloids in PCs integrated on microfluidic devices form interconnected nanoporous networks, which show special electroosmotic properties. Due to the "surface-charge induced ion depletion effect" mechanism, FITC-labeled proteins can be efficiently and selectively concentrated in the anodic boundary of the ion depletion zone. Using this device, about 10(3) - to 10(5)-fold protein concentration was achieved within 10 min. The present simple on chip protein concentration device could be a potential sample preparation component in microfluidic systems for practical biochemical assays.     

Direct observation of single plasmonic metal nanoparticle reaction in microcolumn with chromatic‐aberration‐free LASER light‐sheet scattering imaging

Direct observation and characterization of individual noble metal nanoparticles (MNPs) and their chemical reactions have attracted much attention owing to their unique physical and chemical properties and extensive applications. To achieve high‐throughput information‐rich evaluation of MNPs, it would be advantageous to combine highly efficient microcolumn separation technology with on‐column high resolution plasmonic imaging technique. Here, with a chromatic aberration‐suppressed supercontinuum laser light‐sheet scattering imaging system and colorimetric detection, we monitored oxidation process of single gold nanorods inside a capillary under gravity driven flow, and observed heterogenous reaction intermediates and pathways for different MNP surface modifications. The results suggest that molecular interactions and bindings with MNPs have a significant impact on their reaction kinetics. This high‐throughput on‐line single particle detection technique could be potentially applied to chemical and biochemical reaction studies of other MNPs.     

Development of a histidine-targeted spectrophotometric sensor using Ni(II)NTA-functionalized Au and Ag nanoparticles

An antibody-free diagnostic reagent has been developed based on the aggregation-induced colorimetric change of Ni(II)NTA-functionalized colloidal gold and silver nanoparticles. This diagnostic strategy utilizes the high binding affinity of histidine-rich proteins with Ni(II)NTA to capture and cross-link the histidine-rich protein mimics with the silver and gold nanoparticles. In model studies, the aggregation behavior of the Ni(II)NTA nanoparticles was tested against synthetic targets including charged poly(amino acid)s (histidine, lysine, arginine, and aspartic acid) and mimics of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (pfHRP-II). Aggregation of the nanoparticle sensor was induced by all of the basic poly(amino acid)s including poly(l-histidine) within the pH range (5.5-9.0) tested, which is likely caused by the coordination between the multivalent polymer target and Ni(II)NTA groups on multiple particles. The peptide mimics induced aggregation of the nanoparticles only near their pK(a)'s with higher limits of detection. In addition, monomeric amino acids do not show any aggregation behavior, suggesting that multiple target binding sites are necessary for aggregation. Long-term stability studies showed that gold but not silver nanoparticles remained stable and exhibited similar aggregation behavior after 1 month of storage at room temperature and 37 °C. These results suggest that Ni(II)NTA gold nanoparticles could be further investigated for use as a sensor to detect histidine-rich proteins in biological samples.     

Unmodified and positively charged gold nanoparticles for sensitive colorimetric detection of folate receptor via terminal protection of small molecule-linked ssDNA

The detection of protein/small molecule interactions plays important roles in drug discovery and protein/metabolite interactions in biology. In this work, by coupling the terminal protection of small molecule-linked ssDNA strategy with the unmodified and positively charged gold nanoparticle ((+)AuNP) nanoprobes, we have developed a sensitive and simple colorimetric sensor for the detection of folate receptor, a highly expressed protein in many kinds of malignant tumors. The target folate receptor binds the folate moieties of the folate-linked ssDNA through high affinity interactions and protects the protein-bound ssDNA from digestion by exonuclease I. The protected ssDNA thus adsorbs the ((+)AuNP) through electrostatic interactions, leading to a red-to-blue color change of the sensing solution for sensitive colorimetric detection of folate receptor at the sub-nanomolar level. Besides, this colorimetric sensor shows high selectivity toward folate receptor against other control proteins. The developed sensor avoids the modification/conjugation of the AuNP nanoprobes and the involvement of any expensive instruments for signal transduction in protein detection. Featured with these obvious advantages, the colorimetric sensor strategy demonstrated herein can be easily expanded for sensitive and convenient detection of various protein/small molecule interactions.     

Directed supramolecular surface assembly of SNAP-tag fusion proteins

Supramolecular assembly of proteins on surfaces and vesicles was investigated by site-selective incorporation of a supramolecular guest element on proteins. Fluorescent proteins were site-selectively labeled with bisadamantane by SNAP-tag technology. The assembly of the bisadamantane functionalized SNAP-fusion proteins on cyclodextrin-coated surfaces yielded stable monolayers. The binding of the fusion proteins is specific and occurs with an affinity in the order of 10(6) M(-1) as determined by surface plasmon resonance. Reversible micropatterns of the fusion proteins on micropatterned cyclodextrin surfaces were visualized by using fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, the guest-functionalized proteins could be assembled out of solution specifically onto the surface of cyclodextrin vesicles. The SNAP-tag labeling of proteins thus allows for assembly of modified proteins through a host-guest interaction on different surfaces. This provides a new strategy in fabricating protein patterns on surfaces and takes advantage of the high labeling efficiency of the SNAP-tag with designed supramolecular elements.     

金纳米粒子比色测定细胞色素c构象变化

金纳米粒子(AuNPs)的颜色会随着细胞色素c(Cytc)构象变化而发生较大的变化,作者在改变原测定流程的基础上利用这种有规律的变化研究和测定了H+和L-半胱氨酸(L-Cys)对Cytc的构象变化.实验中分别加入pH=1-13的Cytc,可以使AuNPs显示青、蓝、紫、红等明显不同的颜色,从而可以利用AuNPs比色快速测定不同pH值的Cytc构象变化.在pH=7时,当附加L-Cys浓度从低浓度变化到高浓度时,AuNPs颜色逐渐从紫色变化到蓝色、青色,从而实现利用AuNPs比色测定由L-Cys所引起Cytc构象变化.圆二色(CD)光谱证实了pH=1-13和不同浓度L-Cys下的Cytc构象变化.借助紫外-可见吸收光谱和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)进一步明确了加入Cytc后AuNPs的不同聚集状态与其颜色变化的关系.