A label-free reusable aptasensor for Alzheimer's disease.

To early effectively detect amyloid-beta (Aß) oligomers, a label-free reusable aptasensor was designed. This aptasensor based on a luminescent nanoscale lanthanum-based metal-organic framework (L-MOF)-armored single-stranded DNA antibody (MOF-armored-anti-DNA antibody) as signal tags and aptamer bound to magnetic beads (Apt-MB) as capture probe. The reusable aptasensor combines signal tag and capture probe with antigen-antibody interaction. When the reusable aptasensor is formed, the strong fluorescence intensity of L-MOF will "turn off" by photo-induced electron transfer from excited states to an unfilled d shell of iron cations on the nanoparticle surface. Upon the presence of Aß oligomers in serum samples, they can be especially distinguished with the Aß oligomers aptamer in capture probes and then signal tags are released into the solution for developing the fluorescence aptasensor under excitation/emission 365 nm/430 nm. Meanwhile, the aptamer was recovered from the complex of Aß oligomers/Apt-MB by heat treatment. When the temperature returns to room temperature, the recovered aptamer in the capture probe can once again bound to the MOF-armored-anti-DNA antibody for reuse. The label-free reusable aptasensor system detection has high sensitivity and selectivity toward Aß oligomers (LOD = 0.4 pg/mL) and an excellent linear range (0.001-100 ng/mL). This strategy is a fruitful step for the development of reusable aptasensor and may turn on new avenues for the applications of Aß oligomer detection in clinical diagnosis.Graphical abstract.

[Kinase-Glo luminescent kinase assay for in vitro determination of PKA activity].

AIM: To establish a simple, convenient and harmless non-radioactive method of determining protein kinase A (PKA) activity in vitro. METHODS: Human PKAα cDNA was amplified from total RNA of HEK293 cells using RT-PCR method and then cloned into pGEX-6p-1 vector. In vitro purified GST-PKAα protein was identified by Western blot analysis. Finally, a non-radioactive method, Kinase-Glo luminescent kinase assay, was employed to determine the kinase activity of purified GST-PKAα. RESULTS: After the optimization of the induction conditions, we purified GST-PKAα protein successfully. We then determined GST-PKAα activity using Kinase-Glo luminescent kinase assay. We also further confirmed the kinase activity of GST-PKAα using H-89, a specific PKA inhibitor, and determined its IC(50); value (35.2±3.97) nmol/L which is consistent with reported value. CONCLUSION: The non-radioactive Kinase-Glo luminescent kinase assay is a simple, convenient and harmless method of determining the kinase activity of PKA. This method is effective for pre-clinical high-throughput screening of PKA inhibitor, discovering novel target proteins of PKA and investigating PKA phosphorylation sites in target proteins.