N-extended photoprotein obelin to competitively detect small protein tumor markers.

Two variants of Ca2+-regulated photoprotein obelin, extended from the N-terminus with small tumor markers - melanoma inhibitory activity protein (MIA) and survivin, one of the protein inhibitors of apoptosis, were designed, obtained and studied. Both domains in the obtained hybrid proteins exhibit the properties of the initial molecules: the main features of Ca2+-triggered bioluminescence are close to those of obelin, and the tumor markers' domains are recognized and bound by the corresponding antibodies. The obtained hybrids compete with the corresponding tumor markers for binding with antibodies, immobilized on the surface and their use has been shown to be promising as bioluminescent labels in a one-stage solid-phase competitive immunoassay.

Coelenterazine-Dependent Luciferases as a Powerful Analytical Tool for Research and Biomedical Applications.

: The functioning of bioluminescent systems in most of the known marine organisms is based on the oxidation reaction of the same substrate-coelenterazine (CTZ), catalyzed by luciferase. Despite the diversity in structures and the functioning mechanisms, these enzymes can be united into a common group called CTZ-dependent luciferases. Among these, there are two sharply different types of the system organization-Ca2+-regulated photoproteins and luciferases themselves that function in accordance with the classical enzyme-substrate kinetics. Along with deep and comprehensive fundamental research on these systems, approaches and methods of their practical use as highly sensitive reporters in analytics have been developed. The research aiming at the creation of artificial luciferases and synthetic CTZ analogues with new unique properties has led to the development of new experimental analytical methods based on them. The commercial availability of many ready-to-use assay systems based on CTZ-dependent luciferases is also important when choosing them by first-time-users. The development of analytical methods based on these bioluminescent systems is currently booming. The bioluminescent systems under consideration were successfully applied in various biological research areas, which confirms them to be a powerful analytical tool. In this review, we consider the main directions, results, and achievements in research involving these luciferases.

Development and characterization of novel 2'-F-RNA aptamers specific to human total and glycated hemoglobins.

Aptamers are short DNA and RNA fragments which bind their molecular targets with affinity and specificity comparable to those of antibodies. Here, we describe the selection of novel 2'-F-RNA aptamers against total human hemoglobin or its glycated form HbA1c. After SELEX and high-throughput sequencing of the enriched libraries, affinities and specificities of candidate aptamers and their truncated variants were examined by the solid-phase bioluminescent assay. As a result, we identified aptamers specific to both hemoglobins or only glycated HbA1c. The developed 2'-F-RNA aptamers have shown their applicability for detection of total and glycated hemoglobin in one sample.

Bioluminescent aptamer-based microassay for detection of melanoma inhibitory activity protein (MIA).

Melanoma inhibitory activity protein (MIA) does obviously offer the potential to reveal clinical manifestations of melanoma. Despite a pressing need for effective diagnosis of this highly fatal disease, there are no clinically approved MIA detection ELISA kits available. A recommended MIA threshold has not yet been defined, mostly by reason of variability in immunoglobulins' affinity and stability, the difference in sample preparation and assay conditions. Here we present a pair of high-affinity DNA aptamers developed as an alternative recognition and binding element for MIA detection. Their stability and reproducible synthesis are expected to ensure this analysis under standard conditions. The devised aptamer-based solid-phase microassay of model standard and control human sera involves luciferase NLuc as a highly sensitive reporter. Bioluminescence dependence on MIA concentration ranges in a linear manner from 2.5 to 250 ng mL-1, providing a MIA detection limit of 1.67 ± 0.57 ng mL-1.

The Ca2+ -Regulated Photoprotein Obelin as a Tool for SELEX Monitoring and DNA Aptamer Affinity Evaluation.

Bioluminescent solid-phase analysis was proposed to monitor the selection process and to determine binding characteristics of the aptamer-target complexes during design and development of the specific aptamers. The assay involves Ca2+ -regulated photoprotein obelin as a simple, sensitive and fast reporter. Applicability and the prospects of the approach were exemplified by identification of DNA aptamers to cardiac troponin I, a highly specific early biomarker for acute myocardial infarction. Two structurally different aptamers specific to various epitopes of troponin I were obtained and then tested in a model bioluminescent assay.

Bioluminescent aptamer-based solid-phase microassay to detect lung tumor cells in plasma.

Two high-affinity DNA aptamers for lung tumor cells were applied as biospecific elements in bioluminescent assay of patient blood. The oligonucleotide complementary to the 5' end of both aptamers carrying either biotin or Ca2+-regulated photoprotein obelin was used to form a sandwich-type analytical complex on the surfaces of magnetic streptavidin-activated microspherical particles. Clinical blood samples from cases of morphologically confirmed lung cancer and control samples were analyzed applying the developed assay. From the receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis, the chosen threshold value as clinical decision limit offers the sensitivity of 91.5% and the specificity of 75% (p < 0.001). The area under ROC curve with the value of 0.901 distinguishes well between the two groups under investigation.

Bioluminescent SNP genotyping technique: Development and application for detection of melanocortin 1 receptor gene polymorphisms.

SNP genotyping based on the reaction of specific primer extension with the following bioluminescent detection of its products was shown to be potentially applicable for biomedical exploration. The paper describes its elaboration and first application in extensive biomedical research concerning MC1R gene variants' frequency and associations with clinical characteristics in melanoma patients of Eastern Siberia (Krasnoyarsk region, Russia). Polymorphisms rs 1805007 (R151C), rs 1805008 (R160W), and rs 1805009 (D294H) were detected in 174 DNA samples from patients with histologically proved diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma and in 200 samples from healthy individuals. All the results on bioluminescent SNP genotyping were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Some features characteristic of the population were found, i.e. melanoma is mostly associated with R160W or R151C while variant D294H is extremely rare; simultaneous carriage of any two investigated variants is also strongly associated with melanoma; R151C is associated with ulceration and consequently the disease course is more aggressive, etc. The design of the technique allows fast evaluation of any known diagnostically important SNP frequencies and associations across population.

Hybrid Minimal Core Streptavidin-Obelin as a Versatile Reporter for Bioluminescence-based Bioassay.

Ca2+ -regulated photoprotein obelin was genetically fused with a minimum-sized core streptavidin. Hybrid protein (SAV-OL) was produced by bacterial expression and applied as a specific bioluminescent probe in diverse solid-phase assays. The obtained results clearly demonstrate specific activity of each domain indicating its proper folding with favorable space orientation. SAV-OL has been shown to be a much more sensitive label than the chemical conjugate of a full-length streptavidin with obelin.

Mutants of Ca2+ -regulated Photoprotein Obelin for Site-specific Conjugation.

Color variants of Ca2+ -regulated photoprotein obelin were shown to be an important tool for dual-analyte binding assay. To provide site-directed conjugation with biospecific molecules, several obelin color mutants carrying unique cysteine residues were obtained and characterized for their novel properties. A pair of obelins Y138F,A5C and W92F,H22E,D12C was found to be most suitable (in terms of high bioluminescent activity and stability) as reporters in simultaneous assay of two targets in a sample. Availability of SH-groups, accessible for chemical modification, essentially simplifies the synthesis of biospecific conjugates, increases their yield and conserves obelins' bioluminescence activity. Conjugates with immunoglobulin and oligonucleotide were produced and successfully applied in single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping.

Simultaneous genotyping of four single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with risk factors of hemostasis disorders.

Multiplex simultaneous genotyping technique was developed for four polymorphisms in genes coding for blood coagulation factors and homocysteine metabolism which are considered as thrombophilia related mutations: FV Leiden, FII G20210A, MTHFR C677T, and FVII G10976A. It is based on primer extension reaction with the following bioluminescent solid-phase microassay. At that, two dierent in bioluminescence obelin mutants were applied to simultaneous detection of two gene allelic variants. The assay is carried out in microtiter plate format and provides fast and reliable genotyping of four single nucleotide polymorphisms in four different genes within 2.5 hours. A large number of clinical samples were analyzed and the obtained results were found to be in complete correlation with those obtained by using conventional RT-PCR techniques.