Heptanol-mediated phase separation determines phase preference of molecules in live cell membranes.

The localization of many membrane proteins within cholesterol- and sphingolipid-containing microdomains is essential for proper cell signaling and function. These membrane domains, however, are too small and dynamic to be recorded, even with modern super-resolution techniques. Therefore, the association of membrane proteins with these domains can only be detected with biochemical assays that destroy the integrity of cells require pooling of many cells and take a long time to perform. Here, we present a simple membrane fluidizer-induced clustering approach to identify the phase-preference of membrane-associated molecules in individual live cells within 10-15 min. Experiments in phase-separated bilayers and live cells on molecules with known phase preference show that heptanol hyperfluidizes the membrane and stabilizes phase separation. This results in a transition from nanosized to micronsized clusters of associated molecules allowing their identification using routine microscopy techniques. Membrane fluidizer-induced clustering is an inexpensive and easy to implement method that can be conducted at large-scale and allows easy identification of protein partitioning in live cell membranes.

Cytoskeleton-dependent clustering of membrane-bound prion protein on the cell surface.

Prion diseases are a group of neurodegenerative disorders that infect animals and humans with proteinaceous particles called prions. Prions consist of scrapie prion protein (PrPSc), a misfolded version of the cellular prion protein (PrPC). During disease progression, PrPSc replicates by interacting with PrPC and inducing its conversion to PrPSc. Attachment of PrPC to cellular membranes via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor is critical for the conversion of PrPC into PrPSc. However, the mechanisms governing PrPC conversion and replication on the membrane remain largely unclear. Here, a site-selectively modified PrP variant equipped with a fluorescent GPI anchor mimic (PrP-GPI) was employed to directly observe PrP at the cellular membrane in neuronal SH-SY5Y cells. PrP-GPI exhibits a cholesterol-dependent membrane accumulation and a cytoskeleton-dependent mobility. More specifically, inhibition of actin polymerization reduced the diffusion of PrP-GPI indicating protein clustering, which resembles the initial step of PrP aggregation and conversion into its pathogenic isoform. An intact actin cytoskeleton might therefore prevent conversion of PrPC into PrPSc and offer new therapeutic angles.

Peptide nanotube for carbon dioxide chemisorption with regeneration properties and water compatibility.

A solid peptide nanotube material based on the self-assembled heptapeptide Ac-KLVFFAL-NH2 (KL-7) was demonstrated to be capable of selective chemisorption of carbon dioxide. The selective adsorption resulted from the chemical reaction of carbon dioxide with the amino group exposed on the KL-7 nanotube surface, with this reaction shown using solid-state NMR to have formed carbamate. The KL-7 nanotube powder showed good regeneration properties and was effective in the presence of water.

A highly sensitive immunosensor for calmodulin assay based on enhanced biocatalyzed precipitation adopting a dual-layered enzyme strategy.

Calmodulin (CaM) is a ubiquitous protein in eukaryotic cells, and it plays an important role in cancer progression. In this paper, a highly sensitive immunosensor adopting a dual-layered enzyme strategy was proposed for electrochemical detection of CaM. This immunosensor was constructed by introducing honeycomb-like mesoporous carbon (HMPC) as a sensor platform to sequentially immobilize antibody (Ab1), CaM and a multi-functionalized label. The label (HRP-PAupc-Ab1) was synthesized by covalently binding Ab1 and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) to poly(acrylic acid)-functionalized Au popcorn (PAupc) nanoparticles. A novel dual-layered enzyme strategy was employed by incubating HRP-secondary antibody (HRP-Ab2) onto the label surface and the enhanced biocatalyzed precipitation was therefore induced. This immunosensor exhibited satisfactory analytical performances for CaM detection with a linear response ranging from 5.0 pg mL(-1) to 100 ng mL(-1) and a detection limit of 1.5 pg mL(-1). The immunosensor has also been successfully applied to the CaM analysis in two cancer cells (HepG2 and MCF-7) with high sensitivity, which has shown great potency for cancer study.

Label-free colorimetric protein assay and logic gates design based on the self-assembly of hemin-graphene hybrid nanosheet.

Here we report a label-free colorimetric method for protein assay based on the intrinsic peroxidase-like catalytic activity of DNA-hemin-graphene (DNA-GH) composite. By using aptamers as protein recognition elements, protein-mediated aggregation of the DNA-GH composite leads to the decrease or increase of the colorimetric signal depending on the sandwich or competitive design strategy. Thrombin and PDGF-BB were chosen as model analytes and the detection limits (LOD) by this method were estimated to be 0.5 nM and 5 nM, respectively. Compared to traditional ELISA method for protein detection, this method possesses the advantages of high sensitivity, simplicity, and low cost. In addition, by designing different DNA-modified hemin-graphene (GH) constructs, using proteins as inputs, the "OR" and "INHIBIT" logic gates were built. This procedure does not require chemical modification on the aptamer probes or analytes and circumvents the limitation associated with the number of target binding sites. Given the attractive analytical characteristics and distinct advantages of DNA-GH composite, the universal approach can be widely applied for the detection of diverse proteins and for the design of versatile logic gates.

A TiO2-Au-polymer hybrid system for the photoelectrochemical immunoassay of SirT1.

Human sirtuin1 (SirT1), which is a member of the sirtuin family, plays an important role in a wide range of cellular processes. Here we demonstrate a new strategy for the photoelectrochemical assay of SirT1 in different cell lines based on a semiconductor-polymer hybrid system consisting of Au-polymer and TiO2-Au nanocomposites. Au-polymer (GC-HBAP) hybrids were synthesized from crosslinked hyperbranched azo-polymer and gold colloids and then used as an immobilization platform for SirT1 antibody. Gold-doped TiO2 (TiO2-Au) nanocomposites were prepared as the photoelectrochemical labels for signal readout in the sandwiched immunoassay. The integration of GC-HBAP with TiO2-Au facilitated the electron transfer and the photoelectrocatalytic reaction, resulting in good analytical performance with high sensitivity, selectivity and rapid response for the analysis of SirT1 levels in different cell lines. This proposed semiconductor-polymer system might open a new perspective for the development of a highly sensitive photoelectrochemical immunosensor, and have potentially promising applications in assays of other proteins.

Fluorescence assay for glycan expression on living cancer cells based on competitive strategy coupled with dual-functionalized nanobiocomposites.

Cell surface glycans are a class of sophisticated biomolecules related to cancer development and progression, and their analysis is of great significance for early cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this paper, we proposed a fluorescence assay to evaluate glycan expression on living cancer cells based on a competitive strategy coupled with dual-functionalized nanobiocomposites. The competitive assay was conducted between living cancer cells and thiomannosyl derivatives using concanavalin A (Con A)-modified electrode as the interaction platform. To impart fluorescence signaling ability to competitive derivatives, quantum dots (QDs) were anchored on BSA-protected Au nanoparticles, and thiomannosyl derivatives were further immobilized on the nanoparticle surface through Au-S binding. Due to the spacing between QDs and Au nanoparticles by BSA, the {QDs-Au-BSA-mannose} nanobiocomposites maintained the fluorescence of QDs and showed binding ability with the Con A-modified electrode. Au nanorods (AuNRs)-modified electrode was used as an effective substrate to immobilize Con A. This assay was successfully applied to the analysis of two cancer cells lines (A549 and QGY-7701). The method is simple and shows promise for the study of glycan expression on living cancer cells.

Visible-light-activated photoelectrochemical biosensor for the study of acetylcholinesterase inhibition induced by endogenous neurotoxins.

In this report, a novel visible-light-activated photoelectrochemical biosensor was fabricated to study the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity induced by two endogenous neurotoxins, 1(R)-methyl-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline [(R)-Sal] and 1(R),2(N)-dimethyl-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydroisoquinoline [(R)-NMSal], which have drawn much attention in the study of the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. The photoelectrode was prepared by three steps, as follows. At first, nitrogen and fluorine co-doped TiO2 nanotubes (TNs) were obtained by anodic oxidation of a Ti sheet. Secondly, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were deposited onto the TNs through a microwave-assisted heating polyol (MAHP) process. At last, AChE was immobilized on the obtained photoelectrode and the biosensor was marked as AChE/Ag/NFTNs. Due to the nitrogen and fluorine co-doping, the photoelectrochemical biosensors can produce high photocurrent under visible light irradiation. Moreover, the presence of AgNPs greatly increased the photocurrent response of the biosensor. AChE/Ag/NFTNs hybrid system was used to study AChE inhibition induced by (R)-Sal and (R)-NMSal. The result proved that both (R)-Sal and (R)-NMSal exhibited mixed and reversible inhibition against AChE. This strategy is of great significance for the development of novel photoelectrochemical biosensors in the future.