An improved silver stain for the visualization of lipopolysaccharides on polyacrylamide gels

A sensitive, brief, and user-friendly silver stain to meet the needs in high-efficiency detection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on polyacrylamide gels is described. In this study, the most commonly used formaldehyde-based LPS silver stain, which is potentially hazardous to the operator, is replaced by ascorbic acid (Vc) in alkaline sodium thiosulfate solution. It takes only about 35 min to complete all the protocol, with a detection limit of 4 ng of total LPS. The results indicate that this user-friendly method could be a good choice for LPS visualization on polyacrylamide gels.     

Electrochemical Detection of DNA Hybridization Based on the Probe Labeled with Carbon‐Nanotubes Loaded with Silver Nanoparticles

A sensitive electrochemical method for the detection of DNA hybridization based on the probe labeled with multiwall carbon‐nanotubes (MWNTs) loaded with silver nanoparticles (Ag‐MWNTs) has been developed. MWNTs were electroless‐plated with a large number of silver nanoparticles to form Ag‐MWNTs. Probe single strand DNA (ss‐DNA) with a thiol group at the 3′‐terminal labeled with Ag‐MWNTs by self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) technique was employed as an electrochemical probe. Target ss‐DNA with a thiol group was immobilized on a gold electrode by SAM technique and then hybridized with the electrochemical probe. Binding events were monitored by differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) signal of silver nanoparticles. The signal difference permitted to distinguish the match of two perfectly complementary DNA strands from the near perfect match where just three base pairs were mismatched. There was a linear relation between the peak current at +120 mV (vs. SCE) and complementary target ss‐DNA concentration over the range from 3.1×10^?14 to 1.0×10^?11 mol/L with a detection limit of 10 fmol/L of complementary target ss‐DNA. The proposed method has been successfully applied to detection of the DNA sequence related to cystic fibrosis. This work demonstrated that the MWNTs loaded with silver nanoparticles offers a great promising approach for sensitive detection of DNA hybridization.     

Mismatched pyrrolo-dC-modified duplex DNA as a novel probe for sensitive detection of silver ions

A new technology that enables the highly selective and sensitive detection of silver ions has been developed. The method takes advantage of the unique fluorescence property of a mismatched pyrrolo-dC (PdC)-modified duplex DNA, which serves as the key detection component, and the specific interaction of this duplex with silver ions.     

Synthesis of length-controlled polyvalent silver nanowire-DNA conjugates for sensitive and selective detection of DNA targets

We have developed a facile method to rapidly synthesize the monodisperse silver nanowire-DNA conjugates with a constant diameter and systematically controllable lengths in the range of 0.5-2.5 μm. The synthesis of silver nanowires takes advantage of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) as a structure-directing reagent and is performed under very mild conditions such as room temperature and aqueous media. The nanowires are densely conjugated with DNA sequences enough to exhibit the cooperative properties for the sensitive and selective detection of DNA targets. The limit of detection is 50 pM.     

Catalytic determination of traces of silver(I) using the oxidation of Janus Green with peroxodisulfate.

A method for sensitive and selective determination of silver based on the catalytic effect of silver(I) ion on the oxidation of Janus Green by peroxodisulfate is described. o-Phenanthroline is used as an activator. The rate of the decrease in absorbance of Janus Green (at 615 nm) is proportional to the concentration of silver in the range of 0.3-4.0 ng mL(-1) and 4.0-500.0 ng mL(-1). The theoretical limit of detection was 0.25 ng mL(-1). The method is free from most interferences. The method was applied to the determination of silver in plants (the uptake of silver by plants), in photographic solutions, lake water and several synthetic samples.     

Application of silver staining to the rapid typing of the polymorphism of HLA-DQ alleles by enzymatic amplification and allele-specific restriction fragment length polymorphism.

A rapid and highly sensitive silver staining method, originally developed for the detection of proteins, was slightly modified to detect nucleic acids in polyacrylamide gels. The second exons of the histocompatibility antigen HLA-DQA 1 and DQB 1 genes were selectively amplified from genomic DNA by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Digestion of the PCR products by endonucleases, followed by their size-separation on polyacrylamide gels and visualization by silver staining, allowed us to define the HLA-DQ alleles of the genomic DNA. The intensity of staining of digested PCR-amplified DNA is linear from at least 8 to 18 ng for fragments of lengths ranging from approximately 40 to 200 bp. Thus, silver staining in combination with PCR and allele-specific restriction fragment length polymorphism provides a simple, safe, and rapid method for accurate definition of HLA-DQ alleles at the nucleotide level in the clinical typing laboratory.     

Ultrahighly Sensitive Homogeneous Detection of DNA and MicroRNA by Using Single‐Silver‐Nanoparticle Counting

DNA and RNA analysis is of high importance for clinical diagnoses, forensic analysis, and basic studies in the biological and biomedical fields. In this paper, we report the ultrahighly sensitive homogeneous detection of DNA and microRNA by using a novel single‐silver‐nanoparticle counting (SSNPC) technique. The principle of SSNPC is based on the photon‐burst counting of single silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in a highly focused laser beam (about 0.5 fL detection volume) due to Brownian motion and the strong resonance Rayleigh scattering of single Ag NPs. We first investigated the performance of the SSNPC system and then developed an ultrasensitive homogeneous detection method for DNA and microRNA based on this single‐nanoparticle technique. Sandwich nucleic acid hybridization models were utilized in the assays. In the hybridization process, when two Ag‐NP–oligonucleotide conjugates were mixed in a sample containing DNA (or microRNA) targets, the binding of the targets caused the Ag NPs to form dimers (or oligomers), which led to a reduction in the photon‐burst counts. The SSNPC method was used to measure the change in the photon‐burst counts. The relationship between the change of the photon‐burst counts and the target concentration showed a good linearity. This method was used for the assay of sequence‐specific DNA fragments and microRNAs. The detection limits were at about the 1 fM level, which is 2–5 orders of magnitude more sensitive than current homogeneous methods.     

Silver staining method for DNA in polyacrylamide gels using eriochrome black T as a silver-ion sensitizer

A sensitive silver staining method using eriochrome black T as a silver-ion sensitizer for DNA detection in polyacrylamide gels was developed. The sensitivity of this staining method was significantly improved by the new silver-ion sensitizer containing a diazo group, which has reducing power. The staining method lasted a total of approximately 15 min following a fixing step for 2 x 20 min. The detection limit of this staining method was 1-4 pg for PhiX174 DNA/HaeIII in both nondenaturing and denaturing polyacrylamide gels. This staining method was especially effective in low-base pair DNA, with a sensitivity that was approximately ten-fold higher than previously published silver staining methods.     

An electrochemical DNA hybridization detection assay based on a silver nanoparticle label

A novel, sensitive electrochemical DNA hybridization detection assay, using silver nanoparticles as the oligonucleotide labeling tag, is described. The assay relies on the hybridization of the target DNA with the silver nanoparticle-oligonucleotide DNA probe, followed by the release of the silver metal atoms anchored on the hybrids by oxidative metal dissolution and the indirect determination of the solubilized Ag(I) ions by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) at a carbon fiber ultramicroelectrode. The influence of the relevant experimental variables, including the surface coverage of the target oligonucleotide, the duration of the silver dissolution steps and the parameters of the electrochemical stripping measurement of the silver(I) ions, is examined and optimized. The combination of the remarkable sensitivity of the stripping metal analysis at the microelectrode with the large number of silver(I) ions released from each DNA hybrid allows detection at levels as low as 0.5 pmol L(-1) of the target oligonucleotides.     

Highly sensitive signal detection of duplex dye-labelled DNA oligonucleotides in a PDMS microfluidic chip: confocal surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic study

Rapid and highly sensitive detection of duplex dye-labelled DNA sequences in a PDMS microfluidic channel was investigated using confocal surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). This method does not need either an immobilization procedure or a PCR amplification procedure, which are essential for a DNA microarray chip. Furthermore, Raman peaks of each dye-labelled DNA can be easily resolved since they are much narrower than the corresponding broad fluorescence bands. To find the potential applicability of confocal SERS for sensitive bio-detection in a microfluidic channel, the mixture of two different dye-labelled (TAMRA and Cy3) sex determining Y genes, SRY and SPGY1, was adsorbed on silver colloids in the alligator teeth-shaped PDMS microfluidic channel and its SERS signals were measured under flowing conditions. Its major SERS peaks were observable down to the concentration of 10(-11) M. In the present study, we explore the feasibility of confocal SERS for the highly sensitive detection of duplex dye-labelled DNA oligonucleotides in a PDMS microfluidic chip.     

Effects of gold nanoparticle and electrode surface properties on electrocatalytic silver deposition for electrochemical DNA hybridization detection

In this paper we report the catalytic effects of various gold nanoparticles for silver electrodeposition on indium tin oxide (ITO)-based electrodes, and successfully apply this methodology for signal amplification of the hybridization assay. The most widely used gold nanoparticle-based hybridization indicators all promote silver electrodeposition on the bare ITO electrodes, with decreasing catalytic capability in order of 10 nm gold, DNA probe-10 nm gold conjugate, streptavidin-5 nm gold, and streptavidin-10 nm gold. Of greater importance, these electrocatalytic characteristics are affected by any surface modifications of the electrode surfaces. This is illustrated by coating the ITO with an electroconducting polymer, poly(2-aminobenzoic acid)(PABA), as well as avidin molecules, which are promising immobilization platforms for DNA biosensors. The catalytic silver electrodeposition of the gold nanoparticles on the PABA-coated ITO surfaces resembles that on the bare surfaces. With avidin covalently bound to the PABA, it is interesting to note that the changes in electrocatalytic performance vary for different types of gold nanoparticles. For the streptavidin-5 nm gold, the silver electrodeposition profile is unaffected by the presence of the avidin layer, whereas for both the 10 nm Au and DNA probe-10 nm gold conjugate, the deposition profiles are suppressed. The streptavidin-5 nm gold is employed as the hybridization indicator, with avidin-modified (via PABA) ITO electrode as the immobilization platform, to enable signal amplification by the silver electrodeposition process. Under the conditions, this detection strategy offers a signal-to-noise ratio of 20. We believe that this protocol has great potential for simple, reproducible, highly selective and sensitive DNA detection on fully integrated microdevices in clinical diagnostics and environmental monitoring applications.     

The 5-aminolaevulinic acid-based photodynamic effects on nuclei and nucleoli of HL-60 leukemic granulocytic precursors

To provide more information on the 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA)-based photodynamic effect (PDE) on nuclei and nucleoli of individual leukemic cells, these structures were studied in cultured HL-60 cells which originated from leukemic highly immature and less differentiated precursors of granulocytes. The nuclear morphology was visualized by panoptic May-Grünwald/Giemsa staining and cytochemical method for DNA, nucleoli were visualized by cytochemical methods for the demonstration of RNA and silver stainable proteins including those of interphase silver stained nucleolus organizer regions (AgNORs). In most cells ALA-based photodynamic treatment (PDT) produced marked alterations such as formation of apoptotic bodies, and large condensation of nuclear chromatin structure but without nuclear segmentation. Such changes are in harmony with the apoptotic process induced in these cells but without previous terminal differentiation. In nucleoli ALA-based PDT produced the reduction and disappearance of nucleolar silver stainable particles (SSPs) representing AgNORs which apparently reflected the alteration of the nucleolar biosynthetic activity and cell proliferation. The latter is also reflected by the disappearance of mitotic divisions. On the other hand, a small subpopulation of cells was less sensitive or resistant to the ALA-based PDE since they did not show mentioned nuclear and nucleolar alterations.     

Silver staining of DNA in polyacrylamide gels

Nucleic acids can be detected at the picogram level using a quick and simple silver staining method (2). Using very thin polyesterbacked polyacrylamide gels, a further simplified protocol was compared to other widely used silver staining procedures. The improved protocol described here was the most sensitive, the fastest to perform, and had relatively few steps and reagents. This method also produced the least number of staining artifacts and offered images of high contrast.     

Magnetically-induced solid-state electrochemical detection of DNA hybridization

A magnetic triggering of a solid-state electrical transduction of DNA hybridization is described. Positioning of an external magnet below the thick-film electrode attracts the DNA/particle network and enables the solid-state electrochemical stripping detection of the silver tracer. TEM imaging indicates that the hybridization event results in a three-dimensional aggregate structure in which duplex segments link the metal nanoparticles and magnetic spheres, and that most of this assembly is covered with the silver precipitate. This leads to a direct contact of the metal tag with the surface (in connection to the magnetic collection) and enables the solid-state electrochemical transduction (without prior dissolution and subsequent electrodeposition of the metal), using oxidative dissolution of the silver tracer. No such aggregates (and hence magnetic "collection") are observed in the presence of noncomplementary DNA, that is, without the linking hybrid. The new method couples high sensitivity of silver-amplified assays with effective discrimination against excess of closely related nucleotide sequences (including single-base imperfections). Such direct electrical detection of DNA/metal-particle assemblies can bring new capabilities to the detection of DNA hybridization, and could be applied to other bioaffinity assays.     

Separation and microanalysis of growth factors by Phast system gel electrophoresis and by DNA synthesis in cell culture

A simple, micro-scale method was established for the characterization of growth factors at picogram levels using Phast system gel electrophoresis followed by monitoring the mitogenic activity by DNA synthesis in cell culture instead of staining methods. The separations and bioassays were carried out with a procedure involving Phast polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis or isoelectric focusing, gel slicing along the template, elution of growth factors through Transwell membranes and measurement of [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA of normal rat kidney (NRK) fibroblasts. Transwell cell culture chamber inserts separated sliced gel pieces from culture cells and also permitted the direct elution of growth factors into the culture medium. The lower limit of sensitivity for human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) and transforming growth factor type alpha (TGF-alpha) were about 50 and 200 pg, respectively. At these concentrations, they were not detectable by the current most sensitive silver staining technique. Iodinated hEGF and TGF-alpha were also used to demonstrate the feasibility of determining the isoelectric point and molecular weight of peptides at picogram levels. This method is reliable, reproducible and can improve current methods for the characterization of growth factors.     

Fluorogenic Ag+–Tetrazolate Aggregation Enables Efficient Fluorescent Biological Silver Staining

Silver staining, which exploits the special bioaffinity and the chromogenic reduction of silver ions, is an indispensable visualization method in biology. It is a most popular method for in‐gel protein detection. However, it is limited by run‐to‐run variability, background staining, inability for protein quantification, and limited compatibility with mass spectroscopic (MS) analysis; limitations that are largely attributed to the tricky chromogenic visualization. Herein, we reported a novel water‐soluble fluorogenic Ag⁺ probe, the sensing mechanism of which is based on an aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) process driven by tetrazolate‐Ag⁺ interactions. The fluorogenic sensing can substitute the chromogenic reaction, leading to a new fluorescence silver staining method. This new staining method offers sensitive detection of total proteins in polyacrylamide gels with a broad linear dynamic range and robust operations that rival the silver nitrate stain and the best fluorescent stains.     

meso-四(4-磺酸基苯基)卟啉与银(Ⅰ)高灵敏显色反应的研究与应用

本文提出以meso-四(4-磺酸基苯基)卟啉(TPPS_4)为显色剂和CTMAB、β-CD为辅助配合剂,在酸性条件下灵敏度最高的测定痕量银的分光光度新体系。实验发现在此显色反应进行完全后,以适量H_2SO_4溶液(2+3)酸化,将过量的显色剂转化为质子化H_4P~(2+)形体,其最大吸收波长红移,而配合物稳定且最大吸收峰不变,增大了对比度(Δλ=66nm);同时提高了方法的灵敏度和选择性,表观摩尔吸光系数ε=5.21×10~5L/mol·cm。应用本法于相纸、定影废液和矿石等试样中银的测定,与AAS法结果一致。     

Kinetic-spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of silver using the oxidation of thionine with peroxodisulfate.

A simple, rapid and sensitive method has been developed for determination of traces of silver(I) (0.2 - 13 ng mL(-1)) based on its catalytic effect on the oxidation of thionine by peroxodisulfate in the presence of 1 - 10 phenanthroline as an activator. The reaction is monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the decrease in absorbance of thionine at 600 nm by the fixed time method. The detection limit is 0.098 ng mL(-1) and the relative standard deviation for 0.5, 3.0, 5.0 and 10 ng ml(-1) Ag(I) are 4.1, 1.37, 1.06 and 0.64%, respectively. The method is free from most interferences and it was applied to determination of silver in photographic solutions and well-water samples.     

2-D native-PAGE/SDS-PAGE visualization of an oligomer's subunits: application to the analysis of IgG

A 2-D native-PAGE/SDS-PAGE method for detecting the subunit components of protein oligomers at low picomole sensitivity is presented. IgG was electrophoresed in a native acidic polyacrylamide gel in amounts ranging from 51 pmol to 60 fmol. Silver-staining (native fast silver stain, ammoniacal silver stain, permanganate silver stain), Coomassie-staining (R-250, G-250), metal ion-reverse-staining (zinc, copper), and fluorescent chromophore-staining (SYPRO Ruby) methods were used to visualize the IgG oligomers. The protein zones were then excised, separated by SDS-PAGE, and subunits visualized with a permanganate silver stain. The Coomassie R-250/permanganate silver-staining combination detected IgG subunits using 2 pmol of sample. Coomassie G-250 and native fast silver staining in the first-dimensional gel produced detectable subunits in the second-dimensional separation at 3 and 13 pmol, respectively. Staining with silver (ammoniacal, permanganate), copper, zinc, or SYPRO Ruby in the first-dimensional gel did not produce discernible subunits in the second-dimensional gels due to protein streaking or protein immobilization in the native gel. When using a 2-D native-PAGE/SDS-PAGE system, Coomassie staining of the first-dimensional native gel combined with permanganate silver staining of the second-dimensional denaturing gel provides the most sensitive method (2-3 pmol) for visualizing constituent subunits from their oligomeric assemblies.     

Electrochemical Metalloimmunoassay Based on Enlargement of Gold Nanoparticle Label Treated with Ag Enhancement System

A novel sensitive electrochemical immunoassay with colloidal gold as the antibody labeling tag and subse-quent signal amplification by silver enhancement is described. Colloidal gold was treated by a light-sensitive silver enhancement system which made silver deposit on the surface of colloidal gold(form Au/Ag core-shell structure), followed by the release of the metallic silver atoms anchored on the antibody by oxidative dissolu-tion of them in an acidic solution and the indirect determination of the dissolved Ag ions by anodic stripping voltamrnetry(ASV) at a carbon fiber microelectrode. The electrochemical signal is directly proportional to the amount of analyte(goat IgG) in the standard or a sample, The method was evaluated by means of a non-competitive heterogeneous immunoassay of immunoglobulin G(IgG) with a concentration as low as 0. 2 ng/mL. The high performance of the method is related to the sensitive ASV determination of silver( I ) at a car-bon fiber microelectrode and to the release of a large number of Ag^ ions from each silver shell anchored on the analyte (goat IgG).