Modular fluorescence sensors for saccharides

Modular and modular polymer supported fluorescence photoinduced electron transfer (PET) sensors 2 and 3 with two boronic acid receptor units, a pyren-1-yl fluorophore, and hexamethylene linker show selective saccharide binding in aqueous methanolic solution at pH 8.21.     

Modular 'click' sensors for zinc and their application in vivo

Although the central role that zinc plays in many biological processes and important disease states is now well-established, there remains a pressing need to develop an absolute understanding of the underlying biology of zinc trafficking in terms of its dynamic and quantitative processing in specific organelles. Here we describe the modular synthesis of zinc sensors using a 'click' approach and demonstrate the applicability of our new sensors in vivo using a zebrafish model.     

A new aptameric biosensor for cocaine based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy

The present study reports the proof of principle of a reagentless aptameric sensor based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy with "signal-on" architecture using a model target of cocaine. This new aptameric sensor is based on the conformational change of the surface-tethered aptamer on a binding target that draws a certain Raman reporter in close proximity to the SERS substrate, thereby increasing the Raman scattering signal due to the local enhancement effect of SERS. To improve the response performance, the sensor is fabricated from a cocaine-templated mixed self-assembly of a 3'-terminal tetramethylrhodamine (TMR)-labeled DNA aptamer on a silver colloid film by means of an alkanethiol moiety at the 5' end. This immobilization strategy optimizes the orientation of the aptamer on the surface and facilitates the folding on the binding target. Under optimized assay conditions, one can determine cocaine at a concentration of 1 muM, which compares favorably with analogous aptameric sensors based on electrochemical and fluorescence techniques. The sensor can be readily regenerated by being washed with a buffer. These results suggest that the SERS-based transducer might create a new dimension for future development of aptameric sensors for sensitive determination in biochemical and biomedical studies.     

Nanosized aptameric cavities imprinted on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles for high-throughput protein recognition

The authors introduce a new kind of surface artificial biomimetic receptor, referred to as aptameric imprinted polymer (AIP), for separation of biological macromolecules. Highly dispersed magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were coated with silica and then functionalized with methacrylate groups via silane chemistry. The aptamer was covalently immobilized on the surface of nanoparticles via a “thiol-ene” click reaction. Once the target analyte (bovine serum albumin; BSA) has bound to the aptamer, a polymer is created by 2-dimensional copolymerization of short-length poly(ethylene glycol) and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane. Following removal of BSA from the polymer, the AIP-MNPs presented here can selectively capture BSA with a specific absorbance (κ) as high as 65. When using this AIP, the recovery of BSA from spiked real biological samples is >97%, and the adsorption capacity is as high as 146 mg g^?1. In our perception, this method has a wide scope in that it may be applied to the specific extraction of numerous other biomolecules.

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Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the AIP (aptamer-imprinted polymer) introduced here. The surface of silica coated magnetic nanoparticles is modified with a polymer that is covalently modified with an aptamer against bovine serum albumin (BSA).

     

Hybridization chain reaction-based aptameric system for the highly selective and sensitive detection of protein

We introduce here a novel assay for the detection of platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) via hybridization chain reaction (HCR) based on an aptameric system, where stable DNA monomers assemble only upon exposure to a target PDGF-BB aptamer. In this process, two complementary stable species of biotinylated DNA hairpins coexist in solution until the introduction of initiator aptamer strands triggers a cascade of hybridization events that yields nicked double helices analogous to alternating copolymers. In detail, the aptamer firstly opens the hairpins in the solution, creating long concatemers, and then reacts with the antibody captured PDGF-BB on the well surface. Moreover, several experimental conditions including different PDGF-BB aptamers, the spacer length of the selected aptamer and hairpin, etc. are investigated and optimized. Our results show that the coupling of HCR to aptamer triggers for the amplification detection of PDGF-BB achieves a better performance in the fluorescence detection of PDGF-BB as compared to the traditional antibody-antigen-aptamer assays. Upon modification, the approach presented herein could be extended to detect other types of targets. We believe such advancements will represent a significant step towards improved diagnostics and more personalized medical treatment and environmental monitoring.     

Modular solid-phase synthetic approach to optimize structural and electronic properties of oligoboronic acid receptors and sensors for the aqueous recognition of oligosaccharides

This article describes the design and optimization of the first entirely modular, parallel solid-phase synthetic approach for the generation of well-defined polyamine oligoboronic acid receptors and fluorescence sensors for complex oligosaccharides. The synthetic approach allows an effective building of the receptor polyamine backbone, followed by the controlled diversification of the amine benzylic side chains. This approach enabled the testing, in a modular fashion, of the effect of different arylboronic acid units substituted with unencumbering para electron-withdrawing or electron-donating groups. The feasibility of this approach toward automated synthesis was also investigated with the assembly of a sublibrary of receptors by means of the Irori MiniKan technology. Several sublibraries of anthracene-capped sensors containing two or three arylboronic acids were synthesized, and their binding to a series of model disaccharides was examined in neutral aqueous media. The calculation of association constants by fluorescence titrations confirmed that subtle changes in the structures of the interamine spacers in the polyamine backbone can have a significant effect on the stability of the resulting complexes. Most importantly, this study led to the determination of the preferred electronic characteristics for the arylboronate units, and suggests that a new generation of receptors containing very electron-poor arylboronic acids could lead to a significant improvement of binding affinities.     

Self-powered sensors

One of the problems associated with miniaturization and portability of sensors is the power supply. Power supplies, such as batteries, are difficult to miniaturize and require a sensor design that allows for easy replacement or recharging. This review describes the field of self-powered sensing, where the sensor itself provides the power for the sensing device. Most self-powered-sensing strategies employ either nuclear energy conversion or electrochemical energy conversion. Nuclear energy conversion is employed for radioisotope or nuclear reactor sensing. Electrochemical energy conversion is employed for chemical and biological sensing. This review details the common strategies for self-powered nuclear, chemical, and biological sensing and discusses the future of the technology.     

Biological sensors

The biological senses of which we are most acurately aware, those of balance, hearing, touch, smell, taste and vision, are mediated by sensors directly connected to the nervous system. Signals generated by these sensors modulate voltage-impulse rate in individual nerve fibers, and are conducted in pulse-rate coded form to the spinal cord or the brain. The sensor devices themselves are integrated networks embodying transducers, amplifiers, adaptive filters and other elements, all in individual, microscopic packages.     

Optical sensors

Summary A fibre optic biosensor for ethanol was developed, which is based on the enzymatic oxidation of ethanol. The sensor layer contains an oxygen-sensitive fluorescing indicator which reports the decrease in the local oxygen partial pressure as the result of the enzymatic oxidation. The sensor measures in the 50–500 mmol/l ethanol range, with an accuracy of ± 4 mmol/l at 100 mmol/l. The detection limit is 10 mmol/l ethanol.

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Optische SensorenTeil 20. Ein faseroptischer Biosensor für Ethanol

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Presented in part at the Biosensor International Workshop 1987 at GBF, Braunschweig, June 1987     

Flip-flop sensors: a new class of silicon sensors

Integrated sensors based on flip-flops have been succesfully fabricated for the measurement of several physical parameters and subsequently tested. The sensors consist of flip-flops in which one circuit element is sensitive to the desired physical parameter. The sensing action consists of alternately bringing the flip-flop into an unstable and a stable state and counting the resulting ones or zeros. This number is a measure for the asymmetry of the flip-flop and thus for the physical parameter. To illustrate the principle, a force sensor based on a flip-flop containing piezoresistors is presented.     

Modular NRPSs are monomeric

NRPSs, PKSs, and hybrid NRPS/PKSs are modular proteins with similar assembly-line organizations. Although PKSs function as dimers, new data demonstrate that functional NRPSs are monomeric. This discovery has significant implications for engineering artificial assemblies for the production of novel biotherapeutics.     

Inkjet-printed electrochemical sensors

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Nanostructured polyaniline sensors

The conjugated polymer polyaniline is a promising material for sensors, since its conductivity is highly sensitive to chemical vapors. Nanofibers of polyaniline are found to have superior performance relative to conventional materials due to their much greater exposed surface area. A template-free chemical synthesis is described that produces uniform polyaniline nanofibers with diameters below 100 nm. The interfacial polymerization can be readily scaled to make gram quantities. Resistive-type sensors made from undoped or doped polyaniline nanofibers outperform conventional polyaniline on exposure to acid or base vapors, respectively. The nanofibers show essentially no thickness dependence to their sensitivity.     

Chromogenic anion sensors

Chromogenic sensors for anions generally consist of two parts: anion receptors and chromophores. In this review, 6 types of chromogenic anion sensors are described, namely, NH-based hydrogen bonding, Lewis acid, metal-ion template, transition metal complexes, chromogenic guest displacement and chromoreactands. The first 4 types possess anion receptors attached directly to the chromophores while the guest displacement techniques employ indicators as the ones that were replaced by specific anions. The last type has emerged recently and uses specific reactions between chromogenic hosts or indicators and particular anions to cause dramatic colour changes.