Highly specific revelation of rat serum glycopeptidome by boronic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica

Although the specific profiling of endogenous glycopeptides in serum is highly inclined towards the discovery of disease biomarkers, studies on the endogenous glycopeptides (glycopeptidome) have never been conducted because of several factors. These factors include the high dynamic range of serum proteins, the inadequacy of traditional sample preparation techniques in proteomics for low-molecular-weight (LMW) proteins, and the relatively low abundances of glycopeptides. Boronic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica was synthesized in this study to overcome the limitations of the state-of-the-art methods for glycopeptidome research. The boronic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica exhibited excellent selectivity by analyzing glycopeptides in the mixture of glycopeptides/non-glycopeptides at molar ratio of 1:100, extreme sensitivity (the limit of detection was at the fmol level), good binding capacity (40 mg g⁻¹), as well as the high post-enrichment recovery of glycopeptides (up to 88.10%). The as-prepared material possessing both glycopeptide-suitable pore size and glycopeptide-specific selectivity has shown special capability for enriching the endogenous glycopeptides. Fifteen unique glycosylation sites mapped to 15 different endogenous glycopeptides were identified in rat serum. The established protocol revealed for the first time the rat serum glycopeptidome.     

One Step Fabrication of Au Nanoparticles‐Ni‐Al Layered Double Hydroxide Composite Film for the Determination of L‐Cysteine

This paper reports the fabrication of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs)‐Ni‐Al layerd double hydroxide (LDH) composite film by one step electrochemical deposition on the surface of a glass carbon electrode from the mixture solution containing HAuCl₄ and nitrate salts of Ni²⁺ and Al³⁺. Improved conductivity was obtained by Au NPs codeposited on LDH film. The synergic effect of LDHs and Au NPs dramatically improves the performance of L ‐cysteine electro‐oxidation, displaying low oxidation peak potential (0.16 V) and high current response. Thus the electrode was used to sense L ‐cysteine, showing good sensitivity and selectivity.     

4-Mercaptophenylboronic acid functionalized graphene oxide composites: Preparation,characterization and selective enrichment of glycopeptides

Selective enrichment and isolation of glycopeptides from complex biological samples was indispensable for mass spectrometry (MS)-based glycoproteomics, however, it remained a great challenge due to the low abundance of glycoproteins and the ion suppression of non-glycopeptides. In this work, 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid functionalized graphene oxide composites were synthesized via loading gold nanoparticles on polyethylenimine modified graphene oxide surface, followed by 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid immobilization by the formation of Au–S bonding (denoted as GO/PEI/Au/4-MPB composites). The composites showed highly specific and efficient capture of glycopeptides due to their excellent hydrophilicity and abundant boronic acid groups. The composites could selectively capture the glycopeptides from the mixture of glycopeptides and nonglycopeptides, even when the amounts of non-glycopeptides were 100 times more than glycopeptides. Compared with commercial meta-amino phenylboronic acid agarose, the composites showed better selectivity when the sample was decreased to 10 ng. These results clearly verified that the GO/PEI/Au/4-MPB composites might be a promising material for glycoproteomics analysis.     

Measurement of antibody binding to protein immobilized on gold nanoparticles by localized surface plasmon spectroscopy

Antibody binding to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human serum albumin (HSA) immobilized onto gold nanoparticles was studied by means of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectroscopy. Amine-modified glass was prepared by self-assembly of amine-terminated silane on substrate, and gold (Au) nanoparticles were deposited on the amine-modified glass substrate. Au nanoparticles deposited on the glass surface were functionalized by BSA and HSA. BSA immobilization was confirmed by LSPR spectroscopy in conjunction with surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy. Then, LSPR response attributable to the binding of anti-BSA and anti-HSA to BSA- and HSA-functionalized Au nanoparticles, respectively, was examined. Anti-HSA at levels larger than ∼10 nM could be detected by HSA-immobilized chips with LSPR optical response, which was saturated at concentrations greater than ∼650 nM of anti-HSA. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible to authorized users.     

Sensitivity of the Multiple Functional Moieties of Amino Acids for the Self-Assembly of Au Nanoparticles on Different Physicochemical Properties

This paper investigates the extent of the self-assembly process of Au nanoparticles, depending on the nature of structural and functional moieties of various amino acids (l-cystine, glutathione, l-cysteine and N-acetyl cysteine) and their influence on the plasmon sensitivity and electrokinetic parameters in correlation with the catalysis of p-nitrophenol reduction. DLS particle size analysis revealed that the hydrodynamic size 10–20 nm of Au nanospheres was increased to 135–550 nm, 100–460 nm and 130–240 nm after the addition of l-cystine, l-cysteine and glutathione, respectively, in contrast to no significant change of particle size (15–60 nm) after N-acetyl cysteine addition. This difference in the extent of aggregation as a function of structures of amino acids is further evidenced by lengthy tubular arrays formation by glutathione as compared to branched chain like morphology obtained by l-cystine through TEM. FTIR studies further confirmed the binding of amino acids to Au nanospheres via –SH followed by linking of adjacent nanoparticles through H-bonding. Due to the conformational diversity of amino acids, the surface adsorbed –SH, –COO^? and –NH₃ ⁺ species over assembled Au nanoparticles led to the alteration of zeta potential and conductance, thus affected the catalysis for the reduction of p-nitrophenol as compared to unmodified Au nanoparticles.     

High Sensitive Detection of Prostate Specific Antigen by Using Ferrocene Cored Asymmetric PAMAM Dendrimer Interface Screen Printed Electrodes

In this study, electrochemical immunosensors were developed for the detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA) using ferrocene (Fc) and polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM) constructs. The biosensor fabrication was designed by modifying the screen‐printed gold electrode (Au) with ferrocene cored dendrimers (FcPAMAM) synthesized in three different generations. The self‐assembled monolayer principle was followed, to obtain sensitive, selective and disposable electrodes. Therefore, the Au electrodes were modified with cysteamine (Cys) to obtain a functional surface for FcPAMAM dendrimers to bind. Dendrimer generations were attached to this surface using a cross‐linker (glutaraldehyde) so that a suitable surface was obtained for binding of biological components. The Monoclonal PSA antibody (anti‐PSA) was immobilized on the Au electrode surface which coated with dendrimer, and (Au/Cys/FcPAMAM/anti‐PSA) biosensing electrode was obtained. The PSA detection performances of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Amperometry based immunosensors exhibited very low detection limits; 0.001 ng mL^?1 and 0.1 pg mL^?1, respectively. In addition, EIS and Amperometry based biosensors using Au/Cys/FcPAMAM/anti‐PSA sensing electrode were represented excellent linear ranges of 0.01 ng mL^?1 to 100 ng mL^?1 and 0.001 ng mL^?1 to 100 ng mL^?1. In order to determine the applicability recovery and selectivity tests were performed using three different proteins in human serum.     

Design and fabrication of highly hydrophilic magnetic material by anchoring l-cysteine onto chitosan for efficient enrichment of glycopeptides

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography(HILIC) has been recognized as an effective strategy for glycopeptide enrichment. Hydrophilic materials pave the way to solve the limit of low enrichment capacity and poor selectivity. The present study is the first attempt to combine chitosan(CS) and L-cysteine(L-Cys) to design a novel hydrophilic material focusing on glycopeptide enrichment. CS containing a large number of hydrophilic amino and hydroxyl groups has unique chemical properties, which m...     

Hydrophilic adamantane derivatives engineered β-cyclodextrin-based self-assembly materials for highly efficient enrichment of glycopeptides

β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) based materials have attracted great attention in the separation of hydrophilic glycopeptides due to the abundant hydroxyl groups in its exterior. However, the current materials based on β-CD generally has complex synthesis process and harsh experimental conditions, on the other hand, the interior cavity of β-CD is hydrophobic and is harmful to capture glycopeptides. Herein, a novel hydrophilic material based on β-CD was engineered via a self-assembly process utilizing l-cysteine (l-Cys) or glutathione (GSH) derived adamantane for highly efficient glycopeptide enrichment. It is the first attempt to make use of the hydrophobic interior cavity of β-CD for hydrophilic glycopeptide capture. Taking advantages of strong hydrophilicity and superparamagnetism, the as-prepared materials possess low detection limit, high selectively, and excellent reusability when employed to glycopeptide enrichment. In addition, the feasibility of the hydrophilic material based on β-CD was verified by enriching glycopeptides from human serum and saliva samples. This study provides a heuristic strategy for the application of β-CD-based self-assembly materials in the enrichment of glycopeptides. Importantly, this strategy certified a possible that the change of glycopeptide enrichment sites through host-guest interaction between β-CD and adamantane derivatives with different functional groups.     

Au/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Graphene Composite with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity Under Both UV and Visible Light Irradiation

Au/TiO₂/graphene composite was synthesized by the combination of electrostatic attraction and photo-reduction method. In the composite, graphene sheets act as an adsorption site for dye molecules to provide a high concentration of dye near to the TiO₂ and Au nanoparticles (NPs), and work as an excellent electron transporter to separate photoinduced e ^?/h ⁺ pairs. Under UV irradiation, photogenerated electrons of TiO₂ are transferred effectively to Au NPs and graphene sheets, respectively, retarding the recombination of electron–hole pairs. Under visible light irradiation, the Au NPs are photo-excited due to the surface plasmon resonance effect, and charge separation is accomplished by the interfacial electron injection from the Au NPs to the conduction band of TiO₂ and then transfer further to graphene sheets. As a result, compared with pure TiO₂, Au/TiO₂/graphene composite exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity for degradation of methylene blue under both UV and visible light irradiation, based on the synergistic effect of Au, graphene in contact with TiO₂, allowing response to the visible light, effective separation of photoinduced charges, and better adsorption of the dye molecules.     

Synthesis of polyaniline/Au composite nanotubes and their high performance in the detection of NADH

Polyaniline (PANI)/Au composite nanotubes were synthesized and developed as an electrode material for a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) sensor. A MnO₂ self-degradable template method was used to prepare the tube-like PANI nanomaterial. By introducing PANI nanotubes into Au colloid, Au nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully decorated onto the surface of PANI nanotubes through electrostatic effects. The morphology, composition, and optical properties of the resulting products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectra, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition, the obtained PANI/Au composites were used as catalysts for the electrochemical oxidation of NADH. Cyclic voltammogram (CV) experiments indicated that PANI/Au-modified glassy carbon electrode showed a higher electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of NADH in a neutral environment. Differential pulse voltammogram (DPV) results illustrated that the fabricated NADH sensor had excellent anti-interference ability and displayed a wide linear range from 4?×?10^?4 to 8?×?10^?3 M with a detection limit of 0.5?×?10^?7 M.     

基于Au/rGO/FeOOH的新型电化学传感器一步检测亚硝酸盐

亚硝酸盐是一种广泛存在的原料,长期食用会对人体健康不利甚至致癌。因此,简单、灵敏的亚硝酸盐检测方法的开发具有非常重要的意义。本文合成了金/还原氧化石墨烯/羟基氧化铁(Au/rGO/FeOOH)复合材料,并通过SEM、 XRD和EDX等测试进行了材料表征。将合成的复合材料滴涂在氧化氟锡(FTO)电极表面,利用它们的协同催化氧化性能,成功构建了一步检测亚硝酸盐(NO₂^-)的新型电化学传感器。在最佳优化实验条件下, 通过差分脉冲伏安法实现NO₂^-的定量检测, 其线性范围为0.001 ~ 5 mmol·L^-1, 检出限为0.8 μmol·L^-1(S/N = 3), 且响应时间小于2 s。同时, 所制备的传感器表现出良好的选择性和重现性, 也能用于实际样品的测定。     

Design criteria for engineering inorganic material-specific peptides

Development of a fundamental understanding of how peptides specifically interact with inorganic material surfaces is crucial to furthering many applications in the field of nanobiotechnology. Herein, we report systematic study of peptide sequence-activity relationships for binding to II-VI semiconductors (CdS, CdSe, ZnS, ZnSe) and Au using a yeast surface display system, and we define criteria for tuning peptide affinity and specificity for these material surfaces. First, homohexapeptides of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids were engineered, expressed on yeast surface, and assayed for the ability to bind each material surface in order to define functional groups sufficient for binding. Histidine (H6) was able to mediate binding of yeast to the five materials studied, while tryptophan (W6), cysteine (C6), and methionine (M6) exhibited different levels of binding to single-crystalline ZnS and ZnSe and polycrystalline Au surfaces. The ability of neighboring amino acids to up- and down-modulate histidine binding was then evaluated by use of interdigitated peptides (XHXHXHX). While the 20 amino acids exhibited a unique fingerprint of modulation for each material, some general trends emerged. With neutral defined by alanine, up-modulation occurred with glycine, basic amino acids, and the previously defined binding amino acids histidine, tryptophan, cysteine, and methionine, and down-modulation generally occurred with acidic, polar, and hydrophobic residues. We conclude that certain amino acids directly bind the material surface while neighboring amino acids locally modulate the binding environment for the materials we studied. Therefore, by the specific placement of up- and down-modulating amino acids, material specificity can be controlled. Finally, by employing the compositional and spatial criteria developed herein, it was possible to predictively design peptide sequences with material specificity, including a multimaterial binder, a Au-specific binder, and a ZnS-specific binder, that were verified as such in the context of yeast display.     

Signal‐Enhanced Amperometric Immunosensor Based on Ferrocene‐Branched Poly(allylamine)/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Redox‐Active Composite

A signal‐enhanced immunosensor has been developed by self‐assembling Au NPs onto a ferrocene‐branched poly(allylamine)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PAA‐Fc/MWNTs) modified electrode for the sensitive determination of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) as a model protein. The formation of PAA‐Fc/MWNTs composite not only effectively avoided the leakage of Fc and retained its electrochemical activity, but also enhanced the conductivity and charge‐transport properties of the composite. Further adsorption of Au NPs into the PAA matrix provided both the interactive sites for the immobilization of hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) and a favorable microenvironment to maintain its activity. Tests performed with this immunosensor showed a specific response to HBsAg in the range of 0.1–350.0 ng mL^?1 with a detection limit of 0.03 ng mL^?1.     

An Intramolecular Charge Transfer and Aggregation Induced Emission Enhancement Fluorescent Probe Based on 2‐Phenyl‐1,2,3‐triazole for Highly Selective and Sensitive Detection of Homocysteine and Its Application in Living Cells

In this work, a new simple and readily synthesized turn‐on probe 2‐(4‐anthracene‐9‐yl‐phenyl)‐ 2H‐[1,2,3]triazole‐4‐carbaldehyde (APTC) was legitimately designed towards homocysteine (Hcy). Moreover, APTC has excellent optical properties such as intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and aggregation induced emission enhancement (AIEE) characteristics, indicating its extensive application potentiality. What's more, APTC displayed rapid, high selectivity and specificity towards homocysteine over cysteine/glutathione. The detection limit of APTC for Hcy was as low as 2.198×10^–8 mol·L^–1, and the response time was only 5 min. APTC has been successfully applied to detect Hcy in silica gel plates and living cells, which indicates that APTC has good stability and biocompatibility as a selective probe for Hcy. Finally, the mechanism was studied using ¹H NMR titration experiments and mass spectrometry.     

Luminescent Gold Nanoparticles with Size‐Independent Emission

Size‐independent emission has been widely observed for ultrasmall thiolated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) but our understanding of the photoluminescence mechanisms of noble metals on the nanoscale has remained limited. Herein, we report how the emission wavelength of a AuNP and the local binding geometry of a thiolate ligand (glutathione) on the AuNP are correlated, as these AuNPs emit at different wavelengths in spite of their identical size (ca. 2.5 nm). By using circular dichroism, X‐ray absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy, we found that a high Au?S coordination number (CN) and a high surface coverage resulted in strong Au^I–ligand charge transfer, a chiral conformation, and 600 nm emission, whereas a low Au?S CN and a low surface coverage led to weak charge transfer, an achiral conformation, and 810 nm emission. These two size‐independent emissions can be integrated into one single 2.5 nm AuNP by fine‐tuning of the surface coverage; a ratiometric pH response was then observed owing to strong energy transfer between two emission centers, opening up new possibilities for the design of ultrasmall ratiometric pH nanoindicators.     

Computational Studies of Au(I) and Au(III) Anticancer MetalLodrugs: A Survey

Owing to the growing hardware capabilities and the enhancing efficacy of computational methodologies, computational chemistry approaches have constantly become more important in the development of novel anticancer metallodrugs. Besides traditional Pt-based drugs, inorganic and organometallic complexes of other transition metals are showing increasing potential in the treatment of cancer. Among them, Au(I)- and Au(III)-based compounds are promising candidates due to the strong affinity of Au(I) cations to cysteine and selenocysteine side chains of the protein residues and to Au(III) complexes being more labile and prone to the reduction to either Au(I) or Au(0) in the physiological milieu. A correct prediction of metal complexes’ properties and of their bonding interactions with potential ligands requires QM computations, usually at the ab initio or DFT level. However, MM, MD, and docking approaches can also give useful information on their binding site on large biomolecular targets, such as proteins or DNA, provided a careful parametrization of the metal force field is employed. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent computational studies of Au(I) and Au(III) antitumor compounds and of their interactions with biomolecular targets, such as sulfur- and selenium-containing enzymes, like glutathione reductases, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, cysteine protease, thioredoxin reductase and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1.     

Stereoselective and Chiroselective Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) Analysis of Amino Acids by Molecularly Imprinted Au‐Nanoparticle Composites

Au nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with thioaniline and cysteine are used to assemble bis‐aniline‐bridged Au‐NP composites on Au surfaces using an electropolymerization process. During the polymerization of the functionalized Au NPs in the presence of different amino acids, for example, L ‐glutamic acid, L ‐aspartic acid, L ‐histidine, and L ‐phenylalanine, zwitterionic interactions between the amino acids and the cysteine units linked to the particles lead to the formation of molecularly imprinted sites in the electropolymerized Au‐NP composites. Following the elimination of the template amino acid molecules, the electropolymerized matrices reveal selective recognition and binding capabilities toward the imprinted amino acid. Furthermore, by imprinting of L ‐glutamic or D ‐glutamic acids, chiroselective imprinted sites are generated in the Au‐NP composites. The binding of amino acids to the imprinted recognition sites was followed by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. The refractive index changes occurring upon the binding of the amino acids to the imprinted sites are amplified by the coupling between the localized plasmon associated with the Au NPs and the surface plasmon wave.     

Modification of carbon paste with congo red supported on multi-walled carbon nanotube for voltammetric determination of uric acid in the presence of ascorbic acid

A chemically modified carbon-paste electrode (CPE) is prepared by incorporating congo red (CR) immobilized on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). The results show that CR is effectively immobilized on the surface of MWCNT under the ultrasonic agitation in aqueous solution and further incorporating the nafion. The prepared electrode, due to the electrostatic repulsions between the CR and ascorbate anion, is capable to mask the response of the ascorbic acid (AA) completely and provide an effective method for the detection of minor amounts of uric acid (UA) in the presence of high concentrations of AA. On the other hand, an increase in the microscopic area of the electrode by addition of MWCNT together with the electrocatalytic activity caused to a significant enhancement in the voltammetric response to UA. Optimization of the amounts of composite modifier in the matrix of CPE is performed by cyclic and differential pulse voltammetric measurements. The modified electrode shows a linear response to UA in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M with a detection limit of 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ M. The electrode exhibits excellent accuracies for the determination of UA in the presence of high concentrations of AA (a recovery of 97.6%). The response of the electrode toward sulfhydryl compounds such as cysteine, penicillamine, and glutathione is not considerable. This reveals a good selectivity for the voltammetric response toward UA. The effective electrocatalytic property, ability for masking the voltammetric responses of the other biologically reducing agents, ease of preparation, and surface regeneration by simple polishing together with high reproducibility and stability of the responses make the modified electrode suitable for the selective and sensitive voltammetric detection of sub-micromolar amounts of UA in clinical and pharmaceutical preparations.     

Ultrasensitive enzyme-free immunoassay for squamous cell carcinoma antigen using carbon supported Pd–Au as electrocatalytic labels

A novel nonenzymatic sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor has been developed to detect squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA). Nitrogen-doped graphene sheet (N-GS) was used to increase capacity of capturing primary antibodies (Ab₁). Carbon-supported Pd–Au binary nanoparticles (Pd–Au/C) were synthesized and used to label secondary antibodies (Ab₂). The specific binding of SCCA and antibodies enabled a quantitative attachment of Pd–Au/C on the electrode surface. Electrocatalytic analysis showed that the prepared Pd–Au/C exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity towards hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). We use current response of electrocatalytic labels Pd–Au/C to detect the concentration of SCCA. The unique nonenzymatic immunosensor exhibits a relatively wide linear range from 0.005 to 2 ng mL⁻¹ and high sensitivity with a low detection limit of 1.7 pg mL⁻¹. The immunsensor also shows good reproducibility (4.2%) and stability (5.8%), which makes it an enormous application prospect in clinical research.     

Selective enrichment of glycopeptides based on copper tetra(N‐carbonylacrylic) aminephthalocyanine and iminodiacetic acid functionalized polymer monolith

Efficient separation and enrichment of low‐abundance glycopeptides from complex biological samples is the key to the discovery of disease biomarkers. In this work, a new material was prepared by coating copper tetra(N‐carbonylacrylic) aminephthalocyanine and iminodiacetic acid onto poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐pentaerythritol triacrylate) monolith. The monolith was applied to polymer monolithic microextraction for specific capture of glycopeptides coupled with matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. The developed monolith exhibited satisfactory efficiency for glycopeptide enrichment with high selectivity and detection sensitivity. When the tryptic digest of immunoglobulin G was used as the sample, total 24 glycopeptides were identified and the detection limit was determined as 5 fmol. When the approach was applied to the analysis of glycopeptides in the mixture of bovine serum albumin and immunoglobulin G (100:1, m/m) digests, 16 glycopeptides could still be observed. Moreover, the monolith was successfully applied to the selective enrichment of glycopeptides from human serum digests, exhibiting great practicability in identifying low‐abundance glycopeptides in complex biological samples.