Carbon nanotubes/pentacyaneferrate-modified chitosan nanocomposites platforms for reagentless glucose biosensing

The design, characterization and applicability of a nanostructured biosensor platform are described. The biosensor is developed through the immobilization of three components: a polymeric chitosan network previously modified with a redox mediator (denoted as PCF-Pyr-Ch), an enzyme (glucose oxidase, chosen as a model) and carbon nanotubes onto a solid glassy carbon electrode (C). In order to assess the influence of the nanomaterial in the performance of the resulting analytical device, a second biosensor, free of carbon nanotubes, is developed. The characterization of both biosensing platforms was performed in aqueous phosphate buffer solutions using atomic force microscopy technique. In the presence of glucose, both systems exhibit a clear electrocatalytic activity, and glucose could be amperometrically determined at +0.35 V versus Ag/AgCl. The performance of both biosensors was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, detection limit and linear response range. Finally, the enhancement of the analytical response induced by the presence of carbon nanotubes was evaluated.     

Recent progress in gold nanoparticle-based biosensing and cellular imaging

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been extensively used in optical biosensing and bioimaging due to the unique optical properties. Biological applications including biosensing and cellular imaging based on optical properties of AuNPs will be reviewed in the paper. The content will focus on detection principles, advantages and challenges of these approaches as well as recent advances in this field.     

A carbon nanoparticle-based low-background biosensing platform for sensitive and label-free fluorescent assay of DNA methylation

Combining a DNA intercalator, SYBR Green I, and enzyme-linkage reactions with carbon nanoparticles, a low-background biosensing platform for label-free and sensitive fluorescent assay of DNA methylation is reported.     

Selective, reversible, reagentless maltose biosensing with core-shell semiconducting nanoparticles

Reagentless and reversible maltose biosensors are demonstrated using ZnS coated CdSe (CdSe@ZnS) nanoparticle emission intensities. This method is based on electron transfer quenching of unimolecular protein-CdSe@ZnS nanoparticle assemblies, which is provided by a protein-attached Ru(II) complex. This Ru(II) complex is presumed to reduce a valence band hole of the CdSe@ZnS excited state by tunneling through the ZnS overcoating. The Ru(II) complex mediated quenching of CdSe@ZnS nanoparticle emission was only decreased 1.2-fold relative to the CdSe nanoparticle systems. While four different Ru(II) complex attachment sites provided different amounts of nanoparticle emission quenching (1.20 to 1.75-fold decrease), all of these attachment sites yielded maltose-dependent intensity changes (1.1 to 1.4-fold increase upon maltose addition). Maltose dissociation constants for these four biosensing systems range from 250 nM to 1.0 microM, which are similar to the maltose-maltose binding protein dissociation constant that these sensors are based on. The increased fluorescence intensity was found to only occur in the presence of maltose. Furthermore, the ability of these reagentless protein-nanoparticle assemblies to perform maltose biosensing reversibly is demonstrated with the addition of alpha-glucosidase. Three 50 microM maltose additions after alpha-glucosidase addition showed increases of 2.2 microM, 600 nM, and 150 nM maltose. This result demonstrates a fluorometric method for examining alpha-glucosidase activity. Using maltose binding protein to control Ru(II) complex interactions with CdSe@ZnS nanoparticle surfaces provide a novel class of highly fluorescent, photostable biosensors that are selective for maltose.     

Label-free and reagentless aptamer-based sensors for small molecules

A label free, reagentless aptasensor for adenosine is developed on an ISFET device. The separation of an aptamer/nucleic acid duplex by adenosine leads to the aptamer/adenosine complex that alters the gate potential of the ISFET. The sensitivity limit of the device is 5 x 10-5 M. Also, the immobilization of the aptamer/nucleic acid duplex on an Au-electrode and the separation of the duplex by adenosine mono-phosphate (AMP) enable the electrochemical detection of adenosine by faradaic impedance spectroscopy. The separation of the aptamer/nucleic acid duplex by adenosine and the formation of the aptamer/adenosine complex results in a decrease in the interfacial electron-transfer resistance in the presence of [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- as redox active substrate.     

Fluorescent small organic probes for biosensing

Small-molecule based fluorescent probes are increasingly important for the detection and imaging of biological signaling molecules due to their simplicity, high selectivity and sensitivity, whilst being non-invasive, and suitable for real-time analysis of living systems. With this perspective we highlight sensing mechanisms including Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), photoinduced electron transfer (PeT), excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), aggregation induced emission (AIE) and multiple modality fluorescence approaches including dual/triple sensing mechanisms (DSM or TSM). Throughout the perspective we highlight the remaining challenges and suggest potential directions for development towards improved small-molecule fluorescent probes suitable for biosensing.

Small-molecule based fluorescent probes are increasingly important for the detection and imaging of biological signaling molecules due to their simplicity, high selectivity and sensitivity, whilst being non-invasive, and suitable for real-time analysis of living systems.     

Direct electrochemistry and reagentless biosensing of glucose oxidase immobilized on chitosan wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) selectively wrapped by a water-soluble, environmentally friendly, biocompatible polymer chitosan (CHI) were employed for the construction of a bioelectrochemical platform for the direct electron transfer (DET) of glucose oxidase (GOD) and biosensing purposes. Scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the properties of the SWCNT-CHI film. The results show that the preferentially wrapped small-diameter SWCNTs are dispersed within the CHI film and exist on the surface of the electrode as small bundles. The DET between GOD and the electrode surface was observed with a formal potential of about ca. -460 mV vs. SCE in phosphate buffer solution. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant and the surface coverage of GOD are estimated to be 3.0 s(-1) and 1.3 x 10(-10)mol/cm(2), respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that the immobilized GOD retains its catalytic activity towards the oxidation of glucose. Such a GOD/SWCNT-CHI film-based biosensor not only exhibits a rapid response time, a wide linear rang and a low detection limits at a detection potential of -400 mV but also shows the effective anti-interference capability. Significantly improved analytical capabilities of the GOD/SWCNT-CHI/GC electrode could be ascribed to the unique properties of the individual SWCNTs and to the biocompatibility of CHI.     

Electrochemical control of protein monolayers at indium tin oxide surfaces for the reagentless optical biosensing of nitric oxide

Cytochrome c has been immobilized onto functionalized, optically transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes by covalent and electrostatic techniques. Covalent immobilization was achieved by the formation of a disulfide bond between N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate-(SPDP-) modified cytochrome c and SPDP-silanized ITO. Additionally, ITO electrodes have been modified with the bifunctional reagent 1,12-dodecanedicarboxylic acid (DDCA), resulting in formation of a carboxylic acid-terminated monolayer. Covalent protein attachment to the DDCA-functionalized ITO was achieved with the cross-linker 1-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride. Electrostatic attachment of the protein involved ion-pair and hydrogen-bond interactions between the terminating carboxylic acid groups of the DDCA-functionalized ITO and the primary amine groups of the lysine residues of cytochrome c. The electrostatic interaction between the cytochrome c and the functionalized ITO resulted in greater rotational mobility of the protein at the electrode surface, leading to ca. 63% electroactivity, as compared to ca. 41% electroactivity for the covalently immobilized protein. The redox state of the electrostatically bound cytochrome c monolayers could be electrochemically switched between ferric and ferrous forms. Electrochemical control of the bound protein was used to regenerate the biosensing surface following binding of nitric oxide (NO). Ligation of NO with the cytochrome c was monitored by measurement of the change of absorbance intensity at 416 nm. Through application of a negative potential, the cytochrome c was reduced from the ferric to the ferrous form, which led to the removal of the ligated NO. Application of a positive potential regenerated the ferric cytochrome c, enabling multiple repeat measurements of NO. Such electrochemical control of proteins immobilized on transparent electrodes enables the optical biosensing of analyte targets without recourse to exogenous reagents.     

A novel peptide-based encoding system for "one-bead one-compound" peptidomimetic and small molecule combinatorial libraries

The "one-bead one-compound" (OBOC) combinatorial library method is highly efficient, especially when used with well-established on-bead binding or functional assays. Literally, millions of compounds can be screened concurrently within 1 to 2 days. However, structure determination of peptidomimetic and small molecule compounds on one single bead is not trivial. A novel, highly efficient, and robust peptide-based encoding system has been developed for OBOC peptidomimetic and small molecule combinatorial libraries. In this system, topologically segregated bifunctional beads, which are made by a simple biphasic solvent strategy, are employed for the preparation and screening of an OBOC combinatorial peptidomimetic and small molecule libraries. Testing molecules are on the outer layer, and the coding tags in the interior of the bead do not interfere with screening. The coding tag is a peptide containing a large number of unnatural alpha-amino acids derived from different building blocks used for generating the peptidomimetic or small molecule. By coupling common building blocks simultaneously to the scaffold of the testing compound and to the side chains of the alpha-amino acids on the coding peptide, extra synthetic steps are eliminated and the amount of undesirable side products is minimized. Positive bead decoding is easy and straightforward as there is no need for cleavage and retrieval of the coding tag, and positive beads can be sequenced directly with Edman degradation. To demonstrate the efficiency and simplicity of our encoding system, an encoded 158 400-member model peptidomimetic library has been generated and screened for ligands that bind to streptavidin. Potent and novel ligands with clear motifs have been identified.     

Patented small molecule inhibitors in the ubiquitin proteasome system

Deregulation of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many human diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. The recent approval of the proteasome inhibitor Velcade(R) (bortezomib) for the treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma establishes this system as a valid target for cancer treatment. We review here new patented proteasome inhibitors and patented small molecule inhibitors targeting more specific UPS components, such as E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitylating enzymes. Publication history: Republished from Current BioData's Targeted Proteins database (TPdb; http://www.targetedproteinsdb.com).     

A modular fluorimetric stopped-flow system for use in clinical chemistry

Summary A simple, versatile modular stopped-flow system described elsewhere was applied to clinical analyses. The instrument was tested for detection limits, selectivity, precision, dynamic range and sampling rate with conventional rate and equilibrium methods. For this purpose, the determination of copper based on its accelerating effect on a new indicator reaction involving the imidazole/hydrogen peroxide system, was chosen and satisfactorily applied to the analysis of copper in serum. The results obtained show that the stopped-flow method is more advantageous and adequate for routine analysis than two other methods (conventional kinetic and equilibrium techniques).

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Modulares fluorimetrisches Stopped-Flow-System für die klinische Chemie

     

A small molecule two-photon probe for hydrogen sulfide in live tissues

We report a two-photon probe (FS1) which shows a 21-fold two-photon excited fluorescence enhancement in response to H(2)S and can selectively detect H(2)S in a rat hippocampal slice at a depth of 90-190 μm by using two-photon microscopy.     

A two-color-change, nanoparticle-based method for DNA detection

Herein, we describe the detailed synthesis of Ag/Au core-shell nanoparticles, the surface-functionalization of these particles with thiolated oligonucleotides, and their subsequent use as probes for DNA detection. The Ag/Au core-shell nanoparticles retain the optical properties of the silver core and are easily functionalized with thiolated oligonucleotides due to the presence of the gold shell. As such, the Ag/Au core-shell nanoparticles have optical properties different from their pure gold counterparts and provide another “color” option for target DNA-directed colorimetric detection. Size-matched Ag/Au core-shell and pure gold nanoparticles perform nearly identically in DNA detection and melting experiments, but with distinct optical signatures. Based on this observation, we report the development of a two-color-change method for the detection and simultaneous validation of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in a DNA target using Ag/Au core-shell and pure gold nanoparticle probes.     

A modular assembly strategy for improving the substrate specificity of small catalytic peptides

In contrast to large proteins, small peptide catalysts typically display limited specificity for small molecule substrates. This is presumably a result of the limited opportunities small peptides have to fold in a manner that provides for the formation of an isolated reaction vessel that effectively binds and sequesters substrates from bulk solvent while at the same time catalyzing their transformation. For the preparation of small peptide catalysts that possess improved substrate specificity, we have developed a modular assembly strategy that involves appending phage display-derived substrate binding-domain modules to catalytically active peptide domains. We demonstrate the potential of this strategy with the construction of a small 35-amino acid residue aldolase peptide with improved substrate specificity. The advantages of this approach are that it reduces the demand on the functionalization of the catalytic site and it is modular, therefore making its adaptation to a variety of specificities rapid. The modular assembly strategy studied here may present advantages over exhaustive searches of large random-sequence peptide libraries for peptides with singular function.     

A lanthanide nanoparticle-based luminescent probe for folic acid

We report on a novel luminescent method for the detection of folic acid (FA), a member of the vitamin B family. Y₂O₃ nanoparticles were doped with europium(III) ions and surface-modified with captopril. Their fluorescence is quenched by FA, and intensity is a function of folic acid concentration in the 0.1 – 40 μM concentration range. The detection limit is 83 nM of FA at pH 7 and room temperature.

7-Triazolylcoumarin-based fluorescent tag system for stepwise,comparative assessment of small molecule microarrays

The potential use of a fluorescent tag system based on 7-(1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)coumarin fluorophore having a fluorous moiety and a polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacer at opposite ends as a tool for a stepwise and comparative evaluation of the fabrication process of small molecule microarrays was illustrated by the qualitative analysis of the results of the fluorescence detection obtained from the microarray experiments using the tagged biotins and streptavidin-Cy3 (and avidin-Cy5) as the binding partners.     

Aptamer enzymatic cleavage protection assay for the gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric sensing of small molecules

A label-free, homogeneous aptamer-based sensor strategy was designed for the facile colorimetric detection of small target molecules. The format relied on the target-induced protection of DNA aptamer from the enzymatic digestion and its transduction into a detectable signal through the length-dependent adsorption of single-stranded DNA onto unmodified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The proof-of-principle of the approach was established by employing the anti-tyrosinamide aptamer as a model functional nucleic acid. In the absence of target, the aptamer was cleaved by the phosphodiesterase I enzymatic probe, leading to the release of mononucleotides and short DNA fragments. These governed effective electrostatic stabilization of AuNPs so that the nanoparticles remained dispersed and red-colored upon salt addition. Upon tyrosinamide binding, the enzymatic cleavage was impeded, resulting in the protection of the aptamer structure. As this long DNA molecule was unable to electrostatically stabilize AuNPs, the resulting colloidal solution turned blue after salt addition due to the formation of nanoparticle aggregates. The quantitative determination of the target can be achieved by monitoring the ratio of absorbance at 650 and 520 nm of the gold colloidal solution. A limit of detection of ∼5 μM and a linear range up to 100 μM were obtained. The sensing platform was further applied, through the same experimental protocol, to the adenosine detection by using its DNA aptamer as recognition tool. This strategy could extend the potentialities, in terms of both simplicity and general applicability, of the aptamer-based sensing approaches.