Surface plasmon resonance-based immunoassay for procalcitonin

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor has been developed for rapid immunoassay of procalcitonin (PCT) with high detection sensitivity and reproducibility. The 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC)-activated protein A (PrA), diluted in 1% (v/v) 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was dispensed on a KOH-treated Au-coated SPR chip, resulting in the covalent binding of PrA in 30 min. This “single-step” PrA immobilization strategy led to the oriented binding of the anti-PCT antibody (Ab) on a PrA-functionalized gold (Au) chip. The leach-proof immobilization procedure is five-fold faster than conventional counterparts, enabling high detection specificity and reproducibility. The IA detects 4–324 ng mL⁻¹ of PCT with a limit of detection (LOD) and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 4.2 ng mL⁻¹ and 9.2 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. It was capable of detecting PCT in real sample matrices and patient samples with high precision. The Ab-bound SPR chips were stable for more than five weeks.     

A rapid sandwich immunoassay for human fetuin A using agarose-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane modified microtiter plate

A rapid sandwich immunoassay (IA) with enhanced signal response for human fetuin A (HFA) was developed by modifying the surface of a KOH-treated polystyrene microtiter plate (MTP) with agarose and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). The agarose-APTES complex binds covalently to the hydroxyl moiety of the MTP plate to serve as a binding platform for bioconjugation of EDC-activated anti-HFA antibody (Ab) via carbodiimide coupling. The one-step kinetics-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) enabled the detection of HFA in 30 min with a limit of detection (LOD) and a linear range of 0.02 ng mL⁻¹ and 1–243 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. It detected HFA spiked in diluted human whole blood and serum, and HFA in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-plasma of patients with high precision similar to that of conventional ELISA. The anti-HFA Ab-bound agarose-functionalized MTPs retained their functional activity after 6 weeks of storage in 0.1 M PBS, pH 7.4 at 4 °C.     

Comparative study of random and oriented antibody immobilization as measured by dual polarization interferometry and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy

Dual polarization interferometry (DPI) is used for a detailed study of antibody immobilization with and without orientation control, using prostate specific antigen (PSA) and its antibody as model. Thiol modified DPI chips were activated by a heterobifunctional cross-linker (sulfo-GMBS). PSA antibody was either directly immobilized via covalent binding or coupled via the Fc-fragment to protein G covalently attached to the activated chip. The direct covalent binding leads to a random antibody orientation and the coupling through protein G leads to an end-on orientation. Ethanolamine (ETH) was used to block remaining active sites following the direct antibody immobilization and protein G immobilization. A homobifunctional cross-linker (BS3) was used to stabilize the antibody layer coupled on protein G. DPI provides a real-time measurement of the stepwise molecular binding processes and gives detailed geometrical and structural values of each layer, i.e., thickness, mass, and density. These values evidence the end-on orientation of closely packed antibody on protein G layer and reveal structural effects of ETH blocking/deactivation and BS3 stabilization. With the end-on immobilized antibody, PSA at 10 pg/mL can be detected by DPI through a sandwich complex that satisfies the clinical requirement (assuming <30 pg/mL as clinically safe). However, the randomly immobilized antibody failed to detect PSA at 1 ng/mL. In a parallel study using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy, random and end-on antibody immobilization on streptavidin-modified gold surface was evaluated to further validate the importance of antibody orientation control. With the closely packed antibody layer on protein G surface, SPR can also detect PSA at 10 pg/mL.     

硅基芯片表面化学性质对蛋白质固定化的影响

制备蛋白质芯片的关键在于将蛋白质固定到芯片表面并保持其生物学活性.本实验中,我们分别采用物理吸附、直接化学固定、加入间隔臂化学固定和生物亲和作用固定的方法将癌胚抗原(CEA)抗体固定到硅基芯片的二氧化硅表面.基于抗原-抗体的特异性相互作用,利用双抗体夹心酶联免疫法(ELISA)评价各种方法固定抗体的效果.实验结果表明,在修饰有氨基的表面采用戊二醛作为偶联试剂固定CEA抗体具有最高的偶联效率,引入多聚赖氨酸(poly-L-lysine)作为间隔臂可以显著增强固定效果,并可进一步降低非特异性吸附.而利用生物亲和作用固定CEA抗体也可获得较好的固定效果,但是非特异性吸附较严重.     

PHOTOCHEMICAL LINKAGE OF ANTIBODIES TO SILICON CHIPS

Antibodies and antigen binding fragments thereof were photochemically immobilized on surface-modified silicon chips of 5 × 5 mm size. Silicon surface-grafted diazirines and benzophenones formed covalent bonds with the immunoreagents on light activation. Photolithographic immobilization of monoclonal antibodies in aqueous media was achieved on silicon chips by activating surface-grafted benzophenones. The presence of bovine serum albumin during irradiation reduced nonspecific adsorption of the immunoreagents and retained the immunoactivity of the photoimmobilized molecules.     

Selection and optimization of monoclonal antibody immobilization procedure for its use in IRMA

Immobilization of monoclonal antibody (McAb) on polystyrene support is an integral part of any immunoassay (IA) procedure. Two different immobilization approaches (direct and indirect) were evaluated for their effectiveness. In case of direct immobilization, mouse monoclonal antibody was adsorbed ‘passively’ on polystyrene tubes. The same antibody was immobilized as ‘pre-formed complex’ in case of indirect approach via mouse IgG as linker. Both the approaches displayed comparable Bmax using different buffer systems. However, NSB observed via mouse IgG linker was always on the higher side (0.8–4.0 %). This could be significantly reduced (up to <0.4 %) by controlling the concentration of mouse IgG.Theoretical advantages envisaged via indirect approach viz. economy and stability of immobilized antibody were similar to that of simple passive adsorption. Hence, we have selected simple passive adsorption method using bicarbonate buffer (pH 8.4). Our study also confirmed the need for ‘tube maturation’ in order to retain the immunological integrity of the immobilized antibody. The performance of the tubes prepared by direct immobilization method was evaluated in an immunoradiometric assay for human Luteinizing hormone (LH).The developed method is simple, convenient and amenable for large scale production of antibody immobilized polystyrene tubes.     

Oriented Antibody Immobilization and Immunoassay Based on Boronic Acid-containing Polymer Brush

High sensitive immunoassay platforms have gained intense attention due to their vital roles in early-stage disease diagnosis and therapeutic information feedback.Although random covalent-binding of antibody has been widely adopted in immunoassays due to its simplicity and effectiveness,it readily loses its activity and fails to exhibit high antigen-binding capacity.In this work,copolymer of zwitterionic sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) brushes were immobilized onto inert polypropylene (PP) via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) based on biomimetic dopamine pretreatment.Subsequently,boronic acid (BA) groups were covalently bonded via active GMA units,followed by the introduction of oriented immobilization of antibody.Owing to the oriented immobilization of antibody facilitated by BA groups in polymer brush,the bioactivity of antibody is well preserved,which endows the surface with significantly enhanced antigen-binding capacity.Moreover,the existence of SBMA segments in polymer brushes renders the surface high resistance to nonspecific protein adsorption,significantly alleviating the signal interference of antigen recognition.This strategy could find potential applications in developing high sensitive immunoassay platforms based on the different substrates.     

核壳型Fe_3O_4/Au粒子的制备及其在表面等离子体子共振传感器中的应用

合成了核壳型Fe3O4/Au复合粒子,并对其形貌、光学性质进行了表征.通过外加磁场将Fe3O4/Au复合粒子与兔抗人IgG的偶联体固定于表面等离子体子共振(SPR)传感器的金基底膜上,形成了Fe3O4/Au/抗IgG敏感膜.与传统的通过巯基丙酸连接蛋白的方式相比,磁场作用固定的Fe3O4/Au/抗IgG敏感膜制备简单,易洗脱,具有良好的再生性,且在一定程度上提高了传感器的灵敏度.并对人IgG进行了测定,结果表明,传感器对于浓度范围在1.25～20.00μg·mL-1的人IgG有良好的信号响应.     

糖芯片的研究进展

糖芯片是生物芯片的一种,如基因芯片对于基因研究和蛋白质芯片对于蛋白质组研究一样,糖芯片在糖组学的研究中同样也将扮演重要的角色。本文系统介绍了糖芯片的制备流程及其应用,以及在糖芯片研发开发中的技术障碍。     

Fabrication of Au hybrid protein chips and its application to SERS-based bioassay

Hybrid micro/nanostructures composed with alternative Au nanoparticle (NP) arrays and protein dots were fabricated via layer-by-layer self-assembly and the microsphere lithography technique. These micro/nanostructures were novel protein chips which had applications in the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based immunoassay. The synthetic processes were to fabricate Au nanowell arrays initially by using the templates of ordered monolayers of polystyrene (PS) microsphere arrays. Then, the proteins of antibody (avidin) were imbedded in the Au nanowells. Lastly, the immune reaction was implemented by adding atto 610-biotin. SERS spectra were recorded as the immunoassay readout, which showed the lowest detective concentration of 100 pg/mL. These new kind of SERS-based protein chips were easy to fabricate, inexpensive and supersensitive, and exhibit the potential application in bioassays, forensics and biosensors.     

Enhanced surface plasmon resonance immunoassay for human complement factor 4

Using an enhanced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunosensor, we have determined the concentration of human complement factor 4 (C4). Antibody protein was concentrated into a carboxymethyldextran-modified gold surface by electrostatic attraction force and a simultaneous covalent immobilization of antibody based on amine coupling reaction took place. The sandwich method was applied to enhance the response signal and the specificity of antigen binding assay. The antibody immobilized surface had good response to C4 in the range of 0.02-20 μg/ml by this enhanced immunoassay. The regeneration effect by pH 2 glycine-HCl buffer was also investigated. The same antibody immobilized surface could be used more than 80 cycles of C4 binding and regeneration. In addition, the ability to determinate C4 directly from serum sample without any purification was investigated. The sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of the enhanced immunoassay are satisfactory. The results clearly demonstrate the advantages of the enhanced SPR technique for C4 immunoassay.     

一种基于磁性石墨烯的纸基电化学发光夹心免疫分析方法

基于电化学发光及磁悬浮免疫分析策略,结合磁性石墨烯独特的物理化学特性以及纸基电极价格低廉、样品用量少的优势,建立了一种新型免疫分析方法.以人免疫球蛋白G(IgG)为分析物,采用1-乙基-3-(3-二甲基氨丙基)-碳化二亚胺/N-羟基硫代琥珀酰亚胺(EDC/NHS)法将一抗(Ab1,捕获抗体)固定在磁性石墨烯上,通过直接标记法进行二抗(Ab2,信号抗体)的电化学发光试剂标记,采用磁悬浮夹心免疫技术最大程度减少非特异性吸附,通过纸基电化学发光检测技术测定目标物的浓度.考察了捕获抗体及信号抗体的固定(标记)效果,发现采用的磁性石墨烯不仅提高了免疫物质的负载量,还可以促进电子传递,构建的磁悬浮纸基电化学发光夹心免疫分析法的电化学发光响应峰面积在0.32~1000 ng/mL浓度范围内,与IgG浓度对数值呈良好的线性关系,检出限为6.4 pg/mL.本方法可实现IgG的定量检测,在低成本、快速免疫检测领域有一定的应用前景.     

High salt stability and protein resistance of poly(L-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymers covalently immobilized via aldehyde plasma polymer interlayers on inorganic and polymeric substrates

The electrostatic adsorption onto charged surfaces of comb copolymers comprising a polyelectrolyte backbone and pendent PEG side chains, such as poly(l-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG), has in previous studies provided protein-repellent thin coatings, particularly on metal oxide surfaces. A drawback of this approach is, however, the instability of such adsorbed layers under extreme pH values or high ionic strength. We have overcome this limitation in the present study by covalently immobilizing PLL-g-PEG copolymers onto aldehyde plasma-modified substrates. Silicon wafers, optical waveguide chips, and perfluorinated ethylene-co-propylene (FEP) polymer substrates were first coated with a thin plasma polymer layer using a propionaldehyde plasma, followed by covalent immobilization of PLL-g-PEG via reductive amination between amine groups of the PLL backbone with aldehyde groups on the plasma-deposited interlayer. The stability in high salt media and the protein resistance of different molecular architectures of immobilized PLL-g-PEG layers were quantitatively investigated by XPS, an optical waveguide technique (OWLS), and ToF-SIMS. The adsorption of bovine serum albumin was found to be below the detection limit (<2 ng/cm(2)), as for electrostatically adsorbed PLL-g-PEG layers. However, after 24 h of exposure of covalently immobilized layers of PLL-g-PEG to high ionic strength buffer (2400 mM NaCl), no significant change in the protein resistance was observed, whereas under the same conditions electrostatically adsorbed PLL-g-PEG coatings lost their protein resistance. Moreover, covalent immobilization via an aldehyde plasma interlayer enabled the application of PLL-g-PEG layers onto substrates such as FEP onto which electrostatic binding is not possible. These findings create a generic platform for the covalent immobilization of PLL-g-PEG onto a wide variety of substrates.     

DNA-modified electrodes; part 4: optimization of covalent immobilization of DNA on self-assembled monolayers

The covalent immobilization of DNA onto self-assembled monolayer (SAM) modified gold electrodes (SAM/Au) was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and electrochemical method so as to optimize its covalent immobilization on SAMs. Three types of SAMs with hydroxyl, amino, and carboxyl terminal groups, respectively, were examined. Results obtained by both X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and cyclic voltammetry show that the largest covalent immobilization amount of dsDNA could be gained on hydroxyl-terminated SAM/Au. The ratio of amount of dsDNA immobilized on hydroxyl-terminated SAMs to that on carboxyl-terminated SAMs and to that on amino-terminated SAMs is (3-3.5): (1-1.5): 1. The dsDNA immobilized covalently on hydroxyl-terminated SAMs accounts for 82.8-87.6% of its total surface amount (including small amount of dsDNA adsorbed). So the hydroxyl-terminated SAM is a good substrate for the covalent immobilization of dsDNA on gold surfaces.     

Biophysical characterization of the molecular orientation of an antibody-immobilized layer using secondary ion mass spectrometry

The molecular orientation of antibody layers formed on separate solid matrices (e.g., gold-coated glass substrate) was characterized by means of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) in static mode. For comparison, three different antibody species, IgG, F(ab')(2), and Fab, were prepared, biotinylated in random and site-directed fashions, and immobilized on distinct streptavidin-coated surfaces. ToF-SIMS analyses of each antibody layer revealed that the secondary ion intensity peaks measured at the mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio 253, 325, and 647 were unique to the site-directly immobilized antibodies. The ions in the three peaks were detected neither from the streptavidin layer nor from the randomly prepared antibody, indicating that the insolubilized antibody layers constructed in the two different manners had distinct molecular arrangements. The antibody preparations were further tested for their binding characteristics in sandwich-type immunoassays, which showed that the site-directed antibodies consistently enhanced the detection capability comparing to those randomly prepared. Based on the analytical results of both the ToF-SIMS analysis and sandwich-type immunoassays, the site-directed antibody species were immobilized on the surfaces in a more orientated manner, with their antigen binding sites exposed to the bulk solution, than when random immobilization was used.     

Controlling DNA/Surface Interactions for Potential Pulse‐Assisted Preparation of Multi‐Probe DNA Microarrays

The possibility of selectively modifying microarray electrodes with different DNA sequences in a controlled way without the need for local positioning of solutions or local modification of array surfaces is demonstrated. Potential pulse sequences are employed to perform sequential surface modification of a 32‐gold‐electrode array with two different thiolated DNA capture sequences, surface passivation and regeneration of selected microarray electrodes, all by adjusting the potential intensities of the same potential pulse‐assisted method. We achieve reproducible and controlled DNA immobilization together with minimization of false signals originating from unspecific adsorption or undesired co‐immobilization. This methodology is not limited to DNA chips and it is potentially suitable for a wide range of applications employing Au?S chemistry. It can be employed in laboratory conditions for localizing different reactive chemistries onto predefined electrodes of an array without the need for complex and expensive apparatus and special conditions.     

Sequential injection-capillary immunoassay system for determination of sialoglycoconjugates

An automatic immunoassay system for an assay of sialoglycoconjugates was developed based on the sequential injection technique. A cost effective plain glass capillary tube was used as a solid surface for immobilization of biomolecules via a simple physical adsorption which is adequate to tolerate the force of solution flowing through the capillary during the multi-steps immunoassay process. Immunoassay could be performed with many improvements—rapidity per sample as compared to the conventional micro-plate format (40 min vs. 5-8 h); lower cost and simpler as compared to fused silica capillary with covalent immobilization; and without problem of back pressure as compared to flow injection-bead based immunoassay. Performance of the sequential injection-capillary immunoassay was demonstrated by assay of sialoglycoconjugates level in human serum to differentiate cancer patients from healthy people.     

Enzyme-Decorated Covalent Organic Frameworks as Nanoporous Platforms for Heterogeneous Biocatalysis

Sustainability in chemistry heavily relies on heterogeneous catalysis. Enzymes, the main catalyst for biochemical reactions in nature, are an elegant choice to catalyze reactions due to their high activity and selectivity, although they usually suffer from lack of robustness. To overcome this drawback, enzyme-decorated nanoporous heterogeneous catalysts were developed. Three different approaches for Candida antarctica lipase B (CAL-B) immobilization on a covalent organic framework (PPF-2) were employed: physical adsorption on the surface, covalent attachment of the enzyme in functional groups on the surface and covalent attachment into a linker added post-synthesis. The influence of the immobilization strategy on the enzyme uptake, specific activity, thermal stability, and the possibility of its use through multiple cycles was explored. High specific activities were observed for PPF-2-supported CAL-B in the esterification of oleic acid with ethanol, ranging from 58 to 283 U mg⁻¹, which was 2.6 to 12.7 times greater than the observed for the commercial Novozyme 435.     

Influence of surfactants and antibody immobilization strategy on reducing nonspecific protein interactions for molecular recognition force microscopy

Specific and nonspecific interactions between antibody-modified probes and substrate-immobilized proteins were monitored by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Probes were modified with anti-ovalbumin IgG antibodies immobilized in either an oriented or a random manner. The oriented immobilization of whole IgG was accomplished through the use of Protein A, and random immobilization was carried out with glutaraldehyde. Nonspecific interactions may lead to false detection of antibody-antigen binding events even when the antigen binding sites are properly positioned by an oriented immobilization strategy. Thus, nonionic and zwitterionic surfactants, including Tween 20, Tween 80, Triton X-100, and CHAPS, were evaluated to determine if nonspecific binding events could be reduced without compromising the desired specific antibody-antigen binding. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and surface plasmon resonance assays were also employed to study antibody-antigen binding as a function of immobilization strategy and surfactant concentration. The data from these studies indicate that Protein A can be used to immobilize whole IgG onto AFM probes for force measurement experiments and that a surfactant is useful for improving the selectivity for such measurements.     

Comparative Study of the Developed Chemiluminescent,ELISA and SPR Immunoassay Formats for the Highly Sensitive Detection of Human Albumin

Chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunoassay and enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were developed for the highly sensitive detection of human albumin (HA). The bioanalytical procedure, involving the surface modification and antibody immobilization, was the same for all immunoassay formats. The bioanalytical platforms, i.e. microtiter plates (MTP) and SPR gold chips, were initially functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and then crosslinked to anti-HA antibodies using 1-ethyl-3-[3- dimethylaminopropyl] carbodiimide hydrochloride and sulfo-N-hydroxysuccinimide. The developed HA immunoassay formats were compared on the basis of their analytical performance. CLEIA was found to be the best format for HA detection as it had the highest analytical sensitivity with lowest limit of detection and widest dynamic range. The analytical sensitivity of various immunoassay formats were in the decreasing order of CLEIA > ELISA > SPR. The developed CLEIA for HA detection was 6-fold more sensitive than the widely used commercially-available ELISA. The anti-HA antibody bound MTPs, stored at 4 °C in 0.1 M PBS, pH 7.4, were stable for up to 4 weeks, and can be effectively used for the rapid detection of HA in just 2.5 h.