Comparison of separation modes for microchip electrophoresis of proteins.

Separation of a set of model proteins was tested on a microchip electrophoresis analytical platform capable of sample injection by two different electrokinetic mechanisms. A range of separation modes-microchip capillary zone electrophoresis, microchip micellar electrokinetic chromatography, and nanoparticle-based sieving-was tested on glass and polydimethylsiloxane/glass microchips and with silica-nanoparticle colloidal arrays. The model proteins calmodulin (18 kiloDalton), bovine serum albumin (66 kDa), and concanavalin (106 kDa) were labeled with Alexa Fluor 647 for laser-induced fluorescence detection. The best separation and resolution were obtained in a silica-nanoparticle colloidal array chip.

ISFET and Dex-AgNPs based portable sensor for reusable and real-time determinations of concanavalin A and glucose on smartphone.

In this paper, a portable real-time sensing device was built for Concanavalin A (Con A) and glucose detection using a smartphone. The ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) functioning at a low working point was selected as a small-size, low-power transducer, and dextran-capped silver nanoparticles (Dex-AgNPs) served as sensitive nanoprobes on the ISFET gate. Using the affinity between Con A and carbohydrates, Con A can be captured, and thus directly detected by the ISFET/Dex-AgNPs unit; then glucose can be determined indirectly by removing Con A from the ISFET/Dex-AgNPs/Con A unit via competition with dextran. The mechanism of this competition does less harm to the sensor, allows the reusability of the sensing device, and overcomes the Debye screening of the FET device in saline solutions. Powered by a button cell, the handheld device attains excellent Con A (0.16 ng mL-1) and glucose (10 nM) detection limit, and can practically be used for at least 20 days.

Surface-imprinted silica particles for Concanavalin A purification from Canavalia ensiformis.

Concanavalin A is a representative of the plant protein group known as lectins. Many lectin proteins have useful characteristics for studies on cell division and cell surfaces. In this study, a new adsorbent for the specific separation of Concanavalin A was prepared by applying a silica particle surface imprinting method. First, silica particles were activated via acidic treatment, and then, 3-methacryloyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) was used for modification. For the preparation of Concanavalin A surface-imprinted silica particles (Con A-MISPs), N-methacryloyl-l-histidine methyl ester (MAH) was used as a functional monomer. The silica particles were characterized using a Zetasizer, scanning electron microscopy equipment (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effects of parameters such as the pH, initial concentration of Concanavalin A, and temperature on the adsorption of Concanavalin A were determined. The maximum Concanavalin A adsorption onto Con A-MISPs was observed to be 305.2 mg/g at a pH of 6. The reusability of the Con A-MISPs was approximately 93.5%. The non-imprinted silica particles (NISPs) were prepared in the same manner without Concanavalin A to compare the surface imprinting factor. Selective binding studies were carried out with lysozyme and hemoglobin molecules. The selectivity of the Con A-MISPs was also investigated by isolating Concanavalin A from Canavalia ensiformis. The purity of the Concanavalin A was shown by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).

Biopolymer monolith for protein purification.

Porous glycopolymers, "glycomonoliths", were prepared by radical polymerization based on polymerization-induced phase separation with an acrylamide derivative of α-mannose, acrylamide and cross-linker in order to investigate protein adsorption and separation. The porous structure was induced by a porogenic alcohol. The pore diameter and surface area were controlled by the type of alcohol. The protein adsorption was measured in both batch and continuous flow systems. The glycomonoliths showed specific interaction with the sugar recognition protein of concanavalin A, and non-specific interaction to other proteins was negligible. The amount of protein adsorption to the materials was determined by the sugar density and the composition of the glycomonoliths. Fundamental knowledge regarding the glycomonoliths for protein separation was obtained.

Electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer biosensor between the glucose functionalized MnO2 and g-C3N4 nanocomposites for ultrasensitive detection of concanavalin A.

An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) analytical platform was initially proposed based on the electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) mechanism for ultrasensitive detection of Concanavalin A (Con A). In this protocol, the glucose functionalized carboxylic g-C3N4 nanosheets (g-C3N4-COOH@Glu) and MnO2 nanoparticles covered carboxylic multi-wall carbon nanotubes (BSA@MnO2-MWCNTs-COOH@Glu) were synthesized and acted as ECL-RET electron donor and acceptor, respectively. Herein, glucose was served as the recognition element for binding Con A and MWCNTs was utilized as the carrier materials for loading MnO2. When the quenching probe BSA@MnO2-MWCNTs-COOH@Glu was incubated onto the modified electrodes via the specific carbohydrate-Con A interaction, the ECL signals of g-C3N4-COOH@Glu which used S2O82- as its coreactant have drastically declined. Under optimum conditions, this biosensor performed a sensitive detection of the Con A ranging from 1 × 10-5 to 1 × 104 ng/mL with a detection limit of 2.2 fg/mL (S/N = 3). Moreover, favorable analytical outcomes for detecion Con A in actual serum samples were obtained, exhibiting huge applications in clinical diagnosis of this assay.

ConA-Like Lectins: High Similarity Proteins as Models to Study Structure/Biological Activities Relationships.

Lectins are a widely studied group of proteins capable of specific and reversible binding to carbohydrates. Undoubtedly, the best characterized are those extracted from plants of the Leguminosae family. Inside this group of proteins, those from the Diocleinae subtribe have attracted attention, in particular Concanavalin A (ConA), the best-studied lectin of the group. Diocleinae lectins, also called ConA-like lectins, present a high similarity of sequence and three-dimensional structure and are known to present inflammatory, vasoactive, antibiotic, immunomodulatory and antitumor activities, among others. This high similarity of lectins inside the ConA-like group makes it possible to use them to study structure/biological activity relationships by the variability of both carbohydrate specificity and biological activities results. It is in this context the following review aims to summarize the most recent data on the biochemical and structural properties, as well as biological activities, of ConA-like lectins and the use of these lectins as models to study structure/biological activity relationships.

Anti-glioma properties of DVL, a lectin purified from Dioclea violacea.

Plant lectins have been studied owing to their structural properties and biological effects that include agglutinating activity, antidepressant-like effect and antitumor property. The results from this work showed the effects of the lectin extracted from the Dioclea violacea plant (DVL) on the C6 rat glioma cell line. DVL treatment was able to induce caspase-3 activation, apoptotic cell death and cellular membrane damage. Furthermore, DVL decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and increased the number of acidic vesicles and cleavage of LC3, indicating activation of autophagic processes. DVL also significantly inhibited cell migration. Compared to ConA, a well-studied lectin extracted from Canavalia ensiformes seeds, some effects of DVL were more potent, including decreasing C6 glioma cell viability and migration ability. Taken together, the results suggest that DVL can induce glioma cell death, autophagy and inhibition of cell migration, displaying potential anti-glioma activity.

Proximity ligation detection of lectin Concanavalin A and fluorescence imaging cancer cells using carbohydrate functionalized DNA-silver nanocluster probes.

A novel method for study the interaction between carbohydrate and lectin was developed in homogenous solution. DNA was introduced to the recognition process of carbohydrate with protein. Due to the versatile detection mode of DNA, the detection efficiency for carbohydrate and protein was highly promoted. Herein, two kinds of mannose-DNA conjugates were synthesized. One of which was used to prepare DNA-templated silver nanocluster (AgNCs) and the other one contained guanine-rich DNA sequences. When the mannose of two conjugates binding to lectin Concanavalin A (Con A), great enhancement on fluorescence intensity was obtained due to the proximity ligation of the DNA-templated Ag NCs with guanine-rich DNA sequences. Hence Con A can be quantified conveniently in homogenous solution using Ag NCs with low toxicity and tunable fluorescence. Moreover, carbohydrate functionalized DNA-templated AgNCs was also utilized for cancer cell imaging based on the recognition of mannose with mannose receptor on cancer cell MDA-MB-231.

Heterometal-Coordinated Monomeric Concanavalin A at pH 7.5 from Canavalia ensiformis.

The structure of concanavalin A (ConA) has been studied intensively owing to its specific interactions with carbohydrates and its heterometal (Ca²âº and Mn²âº) coordination. Most structures from X-ray crystallography have shown ConA as a dimer or tetramer, because the complex formation requires specific crystallization conditions. Here, we reported the monomeric structure of ConA with a resolution of 1.6 Å, which revealed that metal coordination could trigger sugar-binding ability. The calcium coordination residue, Asn14, changed the orientation of carbohydrate-binding residues and biophysical details, including structural information, providing valuable clues for the development and application of detection kits using ConA.

Polar silica-based stationary phases. Part III- Neutral silica stationary phase with surface bound maltose for affinity chromatography at reduced non-specific interactions.

This research article reports the coating of large pore silica microparticles with a maltose layer to which bioaffinity ligands were attached via reductive amination reaction between the aldehyde activated maltose and the amino groups of the bioaffinity ligands. This was achieved first by the periodate oxidation of the maltose-silica (MALT-silica) yielding pairs of aldehyde groups at each monosaccharide ring. These di-aldehyde functionalities were then reacted with the primary amino groups of protein bio-affinity ligands and eventually formed Schiff bases (i.e., aldimines) which were reduced using the mild reducing agent sodium cyanoborohydride to form stable amine linkages between the immobilized protein ligands and the maltose layer. Anti-human serum albumin antibody (aHSA), anti-human serum transferrin antibody (aTf) and concanavalin A (Con A) were the bio-affinity ligands immobilized onto the MALT-silica and were evaluated in high performance affinity chromatography (HPAC), namely immunoaffinity chromatography (IAC) and lectin affinity chromatography (LAC). Our initial studies reported here revealed zero or reduced nonspecific interactions with the two immunoaffinity sorbents (i.e., aHSA-MALT-silica and aTf-MALT-silica) and the lectin affinity sorbent (i.e., Con A-MALT-silica). The absence of nonspecific interactions is attributed to the hydrophilicity of the maltose layer and its shielding effect of the residual silanols (i.e., unreacted silanols) on the silica surface. Conversely, the IAC and LAC sorbents exhibited specific interactions with the target biomolecules, namely human serum albumin (HSA) and transferrin (Tf) in the case of aHSA-MALT-silica and aTf-MALT-silica columns, respectively, and glycoproteins known for their affinity to Con A in the case of Con A-MALT-silica column.

Single step purification of concanavalin A (Con A) and bio-sugar production from jack bean using glucosylated magnetic nano matrix.

Jack bean (JB, Canavalia ensiformis) is the source of bio-based products, such as proteins and bio-sugars that contribute to modern molecular biology and biomedical research. In this study, the use of jack bean was evaluated as a source for concanavalin A (Con A) and bio-sugar production. A novel method for purifying Con A from JBs was successfully developed using a glucosylated magnetic nano matrix (GMNM) as a physical support, which facilitated easy separation and purification of Con A. In addition, the enzymatic conversion rate of 2% (w/v) Con A extracted residue to bio-sugar was 98.4%. Therefore, this new approach for the production of Con A and bio-sugar is potentially useful for obtaining bio-based products from jack bean.

Development of an aptamer-affinity chromatography for efficient single step purification of Concanavalin A from Canavalia ensiformis.

Herein, an aptamer-based affinity chromatography method for rapid and single step purification of Concanavalin A is developed and validated. We have used a 41ntssDNA aptamer of Con A (Con A aptabody) as an affinity reagent in the developed aptamer-affinity chromatography. Stationary phase of the method consists of surface functionalized agarose beads carrying covalently immobilized Con A-aptabody. Affinity purification of Con A from jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) seed using developed aptamer-affinity columns has resulted in ≥66% recovery with 90% purity and 336-fold purification of Con A. The developed aptamer-affinity chromatography has shown efficient scalability and consistent purification when analysed over 13mm, 20mm and 25mm diameter columns having a bed height of 60mm each. Also, the developed aptamer-agarose columns were found to be reusable with recovery decrease of 12.9% in seven sequential cycles of purification. Therefore, the developed aptamer-affinity chromatography provides a novel, efficient and single-step methodology for isolation and purification of Con A.

Metal mesh device sensor immobilized with a trimethoxysilane-containing glycopolymer for label-free detection of proteins and bacteria.

Biosensors for the detection of proteins and bacteria have been developed using glycopolymer-immobilized metal mesh devices. The trimethoxysilane-containing glycopolymer was immobilized onto a metal mesh device using the silane coupling reaction. The surface shape and transmittance properties of the original metal mesh device were maintained following the immobilization of the glycopolymer. The mannose-binding protein (concanavalin A) could be detected at concentrations in the range of 10(-9) to 10(-6) mol L(-1) using the glycopolymer-immobilized metal mesh device sensor, whereas another protein (bovine serum albumin) was not detected. A detection limit of 1 ng mm(-2) was achieved for the amount of adsorbed concanavalin A. The glycopolymer-immobilized metal mesh device sensor could also detect bacteria as well as protein. The mannose-binding strain of Escherichia coli was specifically detected by the glycopolymer-immobilized metal mesh device sensor. The glycopolymer-immobilized metal mesh device could therefore be used as a label-free biosensor showing high levels of selectivity and sensitivity toward proteins and bacteria.

Concanavalin A-polysaccharides binding affinity analysis using a quartz crystal microbalance.

There is no comparative data available on the binding constants of Concanavalin A (Con A) and glycogen and Con A-mannan using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), cost and time efficient system for biosensor analysis. It is hypothesized that a QCM can be used in its flow injection mode to monitor the binding affinity of polysaccharides to an immobilized lectin, Con A. The biosensor is prepared by immobilizing Con A on a 5MHz gold crystal by carbodiimide crosslinking chemistry. The attachment efficiency is monitored by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Equilibrium association and dissociation constants describing Con A-polysaccharides interaction are determined in a saturation binding experiment, where increasing concentrations of polysaccharides are run on a Con A-immobilized gold crystal surface, and the frequency shifts recorded on the frequency counter. The molecular weights (MW) of glycogen from Oyster and mannan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae are determined by size exclusion chromatography. The MW for glycogen and mannan are 604±0.002 kDa and 54±0.002 kDa, respectively. The equilibrium association and dissociation constants for Con A-glycogen and Con A-mannan interactions are KA=3.93±0.7×10(6) M(-1)/KD=0.25±0.06 µM and (n=3), respectively. Their respective frequency and motional resistance shifts relationship (ΔF/ΔR) are 37.29±1.55 and 34.86±0.85 Hz/Ω (n=3), which support the validity of Sauerbrey׳s rigidity approximation. This work suggests that Con A-mannan complex could be potentially utilized for insulin delivery and the targeting of glucose-rich substances and glycoproteins when fast drug release is desired.

Multi-wall carbon nanotube-polyaniline biosensor based on lectin-carbohydrate affinity for ultrasensitive detection of Con A.

In this paper, a novel method for detecting concanavalin A (Con A) was developed based on lectin-carbohydrate biospecific interactions. Multi-wall carbon nanotube-polyaniline (MWNT-PANI) nanocomposites, synthesized by in situ polymerization, were chosen to immobilize d-glucose through the Schiff-base reaction. The immobilized D-glucose showed high binding sensitivity and excellent selectivity to its target lectin, Con A. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were applied to characterize the assembly process of the modified electrode. Due to the high affinity of Con A for D-glucose and high stability of the propounded sensing platform, the fabricated biosensor achieved ultrasensitive detection of Con A with good sensitivity, acceptable reproducibility and stability. The changes of response current were proportional to the Con A concentrations from 3.3 pM to 9.3 nM, with a detection limit of 1.0 pM. Therefore, the combination of MWNT-PANI nanocomposites and the special binding force between lectin and carbohydrate provides an efficient and promising platform for the fabrication of bioelectrochemical devices.

An improved capillary model for describing the microstructure characteristics, fluid hydrodynamics and breakthrough performance of proteins in cryogel beds.

A capillary-based model modified for characterization of monolithic cryogels is presented with key parameters like the pore size distribution, the tortuosity and the skeleton thickness employed for describing the porous structure characteristics of a cryogel matrix. Laminar flow, liquid dispersion and mass transfer in each capillary are considered and the model is solved numerically by the finite difference method. As examples, two poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) based cryogel beds have been prepared by radical cryo-copolymerization of monomers and used to test the model. The axial dispersion behaviors, the pressure drop vs. flow rate performance as well as the non-adsorption breakthrough curves of different proteins, i.e., lysozyme, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and concanavalin A (Con A), at various flow velocities in the cryogel beds are measured experimentally. The lumped parameters in the model are determined by matching the model prediction with the experimental data. The results showed that for a given cryogel column, by using the model based on the physical properties of the cryogel (i.e., diameter, length, porosity, and permeability) together with the protein breakthrough curves one can obtain a reasonable estimate and detailed characterization of the porous structure properties of cryogel matrix, particularly regarding the number of capillaries, the capillary tortuousness, the pore size distribution and the skeleton thickness. The model is also effective with regards to predicting the flow performance and the non-adsorption breakthrough profiles of proteins at different flow velocities. It is thus expected to be applicable for characterizing the properties of cryogels and predicting the chromatographic performance under a given set of operating conditions.

Triply responsive films in bioelectrocatalysis with a binary architecture: combined layer-by-layer assembly and hydrogel polymerization.

In this work, triply responsive films with a specific binary architecture combining layer-by-layer assembly (LbL) and hydrogel polymerization were successfully prepared. First, concanavalin A (Con A) and dextran (Dex) were assembled into {Con A/Dex}(5) LbL layers on electrode surface by the lectin-sugar biospecific interaction between them. The poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide) (PDEA) hydrogels with entrapped horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were then synthesized by polymerization on the surface of LbL inner layers, forming {Con A/Dex}(5)-(PDEA-HRP) films. The films demonstrated reversible pH-, thermo-, and salt-responsive on-off behavior toward electroactive probe Fe(CN)(6)(3-) in its cyclic voltammetric responses. This multiple stimuli-responsive films could be further used to realize triply switchable electrochemical reduction of H(2)O(2) catalyzed by HRP immobilized in the films and mediated by Fe(CN)(6)(3-) in solution. The responsive mechanism of the films was explored and discussed. The pH-sensitive property of the system was attributed to the electrostatic interaction between the {Con A/Dex}(5) inner layers and the probe at different pH, and the thermo- and salt-responsive behaviors should be ascribed to the structure change of PDEA hydrogels for the PDEA-HRP outermost layers under different conditions. The concept of binary architecture was also used to fabricate {Con A/Dex}(5)-(PDEA-GOD) films on electrodes, where GOD = glucose oxidase, which was applied to realize the triply switchable bioelectrocatalysis of glucose by GOD in the films with ferrocenedicarboxylic acid as the mediator in solution. This film system with the unique binary architecture may establish a foundation for fabricating a novel type of multicontrollable biosensors based on bioelectrocatalysis with immobilized enzymes.

Surface glycosylation of polymer membrane by thiol-yne click chemistry for affinity adsorption of lectin.

We present a novel approach to constructing glycosylated surface for microporous membrane. Carbohydrate derivative can be facilely bound onto the alkyne-modified membrane surface via thiol-yne click chemistry. The glycosylated membrane surface shows an excellent affinity adsorption to lectin on the basis of carbohydrate-protein recognition.

Purification of a lectin from Canavalia ensiformis using PEG-citrate aqueous two-phase system.

A PEG/citrate aqueous two-phase system was tested in the partition of commercial Concanavalin A (Con A) and subsequently applied to the extraction and purification of Con A from the crude extract of Canavalia ensiformis seeds. Con A was successfully extracted to the bottom phase of a system composed of 22% (w/w) PEG8000 and 12% (w/w) citrate at pH 6.0. The obtained purification factor was 11.5 without any loss in the hemagglutinating activity. The purity of extracted lectin was confirmed by SDS-PAGE analysis.

Disulphide production by Ero1α-PDI relay is rapid and effectively regulated.

The molecular networks that control endoplasmic reticulum (ER) redox conditions in mammalian cells are incompletely understood. Here, we show that after reductive challenge the ER steady-state disulphide content is restored on a time scale of seconds. Both the oxidase Ero1α and the oxidoreductase protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) strongly contribute to the rapid recovery kinetics, but experiments in ERO1-deficient cells indicate the existence of parallel pathways for disulphide generation. We find PDI to be the main substrate of Ero1α, and mixed-disulphide complexes of Ero1 primarily form with PDI, to a lesser extent with the PDI-family members ERp57 and ERp72, but are not detectable with another homologue TMX3. We also show for the first time that the oxidation level of PDIs and glutathione is precisely regulated. Apparently, this is achieved neither through ER import of thiols nor by transport of disulphides to the Golgi apparatus. Instead, our data suggest that a dynamic equilibrium between Ero1- and glutathione disulphide-mediated oxidation of PDIs constitutes an important element of ER redox homeostasis.