Rational design of a thrombin electrochemical aptasensor by conjugating two DNA aptamers with G-quadruplex halves

A novel strategy for the fabrication of an electrochemical aptasensor is proposed; this strategy has been employed in this work to assay thrombin concentration. Two well-designed oligonucleotides were used as the core element. G-quadruplex–hemin complexes can be formed on the surface of the electrode to give a detectable signal only when thrombin is not bound to the aptamers. The detection limit of the biosensor has been lowered to 10 nM. Moreover, since the electroactive probe is not required to be bound to the oligonucleotide, this strategy may integrate the advantages of being both label-free and cost-effective.     

A colorimetric sandwich-type assay for sensitive thrombin detection based on enzyme-linked aptamer assay

A colorimetric sandwich-type assay based on enzyme-linked aptamer assay has been developed for the fast and sensitive detection of as low as 25 fM of thrombin with high linearity. Aptamer-immobilized glass was used to capture the target analyte, whereas a second aptamer, functionalized with horseradish peroxidase (HRP), was employed for the conventional 3,5,3′,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB)-based colorimetric detection. Without the troublesome antibody requirement of the conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), as low as 25 fM of thrombin could be rapidly and reproducibly detected. This assay has superior, or at least equal, recovery and accuracy to that of conventional antibody-based ELISA.     

Detection of microarray-hybridized oligonucleotides with magnetic beads

The efficiency of hybridization analysis with oligonucleotide microarrays depends heavily on the method of detection. Conventional methods based on labeling nucleic acids with fluorescent, chemiluminescent, enzyme, or radioactive reporters suffer from a number of serious drawbacks which demand development of new detection techniques. Here, we report two new approaches for detection of hybridization with oligonucleotide microarrays employing magnetic beads as active labels. In the first method streptavidin-coated magnetic beads are used to discover biotin-labeled DNA molecules hybridized with arrayed oligonucleotide probes. In the second method biotin-labeled DNA molecules are bound first to the surface of magnetic beads and then hybridized with arrayed complementary strands on bead-array contacts. Using a simple low-power microscope with a dark-field illumination and a pair of complementary primers as a model hybridization system we evaluated sensitivity, speed, and cost of the new detection method and compared its performance with the detection techniques employing enzyme and fluorescent labels. It was shown that the detection of microarray-hybridized DNA with magnetic beads combines low cost with high speed and enhanced assay sensitivity, opening a new way to routine hybridization assays which do not require precise measurements of DNA concentration.     

Amplified electrochemical aptasensor for thrombin based on bio-barcode method

In the present study, an electrochemical aptasensor for highly sensitive detection of thrombin was developed based on bio-barcode amplification assay. For this proposed aptasensor, capture DNA aptamerI was immobilized on the Au electrode. The functional Au nanoparticles (DNA–AuNPs) are loaded with barcode binding DNA and aptamerII. Through the specific recognition for thrombin, a sandwich format of Au/aptamerI/thrombin/DNA–AuNPs was fabricated. After hybridization with the PbSNPs-labeled barcode DNA, the assembled sensor was obtained. The concentration of thrombin was monitored based on the concentration of lead ions dissolved through differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetric (DPASV). Under optimum conditions, a detection limit of 6.2 × 10⁻¹⁵ mol L⁻¹ (M) thrombin was achieved. In addition, the sensor exhibited excellent selectivity against other proteins.     

磁珠法快速提取基因组DNA的实验研究

针对临床标本基因组DNA的提取方法缺乏广泛适用性,提取步骤繁琐,需要进行离心操作,并且提取过程中会用到苯酚、氯仿等有机试剂,会对操作人员有一定的危害性等不足,本研究拟建立一种适用于临床标本的基因组DNA快速提取方法。在传统的基因组DNA提取试剂和方法的基础上,本研究采用二氧化硅修饰的超顺磁珠设计了一种基因组DNA快速提取方法;探讨磁珠用量、裂解液p H、盐酸胍浓度等因素对基因组DNA提取效率的影响并采用凝胶电泳实验进行验证。当磁珠用量在50~100μg/100 mg样品,裂解液p H约为6,盐酸胍的浓度为6 mol/L时基因组DNA提取效果好、效率高,且磁珠的用量与吸附表面积成正比,但达到一定用量后不会增加提取量,对于100 mg肺组织,适宜的磁珠用量为80μg。此基因组DNA提取方法高效省时,简便快捷,性价比高,适用临床大量样本基因组DNA提取。     

Development of a rapid polymerase chain reaction-ELISA assay using polystyrene beads for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA

AIMS: To develop a rapid colourimetric assay for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA using polystyrene beads as solid support. METHODS AND RESULTS: A nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-ELISA assay for the detection of T. gondii DNA was standardized by optimizing the hybridization time and probe concentration. Its detection threshold was then determined and compared with Southern blotting hybridization. These were found to be equivalent, but the PCR-ELISA-beads test is easier to perform and the turnaround time is much shorter than with Southern blot. CONCLUSIONS: The PCR-ELISA-beads assay is a valuable tool for the detection of T. gondii DNA. SIGNIFICANCE AND THE IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Our results demonstrate that this PCR-ELISA assay, using polystyrene beads, can be used as a routine diagnostic test for the detection of T. gondii in clinical laboratories.     

Rolling circle amplification-based detection of human topoisomerase I activity on magnetic beads

A high-sensitivity assay has been developed for the detection of human topoisomerase I with single molecule resolution. The method uses magnetic sepharose beads to concentrate rolling circle products, produced by the amplification of DNA molecules circularized by topoisomerase I and detectable with a confocal microscope as single and discrete dots, once reacted with fluorescent probes. Each dot, corresponding to a single cleavage–religation event mediated by the enzyme, can be counted due to its high signal/noise ratio, allowing detection of 0.3 pM enzyme and representing a valid method to detect the enzyme activity in highly diluted samples.     

A magnetic bead-based protein kinase assay with dual detection techniques

A novel magnetic bead-based protein kinase assay was developed using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and immunochemifluorescence as two independent detection techniques. Abltide substrate was immobilized onto magnetic beads via noncovalent biotin–streptavidin interactions. This noncovalent immobilization strategy facilitated peptide release and allowed MALDI-TOF MS analysis of substrate phosphorylation. The use of magnetic beads provided rapid sample handling and allowed secondary analysis by immunochemifluorescence to determine the degree of substrate phosphorylation. This dual detection technique was used to evaluate the inhibition of c-Abl kinase by imatinib and dasatinib. For each inhibitor, IC₅₀ (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) values determined by these two different detection methods were consistent and close to values reported in the literature. The high-throughput potential of this new approach to kinase assays was preliminarily demonstrated by screening a chemical library consisting of 31 compounds against c-Abl kinase using a 96-well plate. In this proof-of-principle experiment, both MALDI-TOF MS and immunochemifluorescence were able to compare inhibitor potencies with consistent values. Dual detection may significantly enhance the reliability of chemical library screening and identify false positives and negatives. Formatted for 96-well plates and with high-throughput potential, this dual detection kinase assay may provide a rapid, reliable, and inexpensive route to the discovery of small-molecule drug leads.     

Aptamer-graphene oxide for highly sensitive dual electrochemical detection of Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase

A 90 mer ssDNA aptamer (P38) enriched against Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase (PfLDH) through SELEX process was immobilized over glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using graphene oxide (GO) as an immobilization matrix, and the modified electrode was investigated for detection of PfLDH. The GO was synthesized from powdered pencil graphite and characterized by XRD based on the increased interlayer distance between graphitic layers from 0.345 nm for graphite to 0.829 nm for GO. The immobilization of P38 on GO was confirmed by I_D/I_G intensity ratio in Raman spectra where, the ratio were 0.67, 0.915, and 1.35 for graphite, GO and P38-GO, respectively. The formation of the P38 layer over GO-GCE was evident from an increase in the surface height in AFM analysis of the electrode from ∼3.5 nm for GO-GCE to ∼27 nm for P38-GO-GCE. The developed aptasensor when challenged with the target, a detection of as low as 0.5 fM of PfLDH was demonstrated. The specificity of the aptasensor was confirmed through a voltametric measurement at 0.65 V of the reduced co-factor generated from the PfLDH catalysis. Studies on interference from some common proteins, storage stability, repeatability and analysis of real samples demonstrated the practical application potential of the aptasensor.     

Towards Q-PCR of pathogenic bacteria with improved electrochemical double-tagged genosensing detection

A very sensitive assay for the rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria based on electrochemical genosensing has been designed. The assay was performed by the PCR specific amplification of the eaeA gene, related with the pathogenic activity of Escherichia coli O157:H7. The efficiency and selectivity of the selected primers were firstly studied by using standard Quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) based on TaqMan fluorescent strategy. The bacteria amplicon was detected by using two different electrochemical genosensing strategies, a highly selective biosensor based on a bulk-modified avidin biocomposite (Av-GEB) and a highly sensitive magneto sensor (m-GEC). The electrochemical detection was achieved in both cases by the enzyme marker HRP. The assay showed to be very sensitive, being able to detect 4.5 ng microl(-1) and 0.45 ng microl(-1) of the original bacterial genome after only 10 cycles of PCR amplification, when the first and the second strategies were used, respectively. Moreover, the electrochemical strategies for the detection of the amplicon showed to be more sensitive compared with Q-PCR strategies based on fluorescent labels such as TaqMan probes.     

Liquid crystal-based detection of thrombin coupled to interactions between a polyelectrolyte and a phospholipid monolayer

Herein, we describe a real-time, label-free biosensing strategy for thrombin detection that uses the orientational properties of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) and the interactions between a polyelectrolyte and a phospholipid monolayer. The imaging principle is based on the disruption of the orientation of 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl by reorganized 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-rac-(1-glycerol) sodium salt (DOPG) at the aqueous/LC interface. Positively charged, multiple arginine peptides (poly-l-arginine hydrochloride) interacted with negatively charged DOPG at the aqueous/LC interface, which caused reorganization of the phospholipid layer and induced an orientational transition of LCs from a homeotropic to a planar state. As a result, a dark to bright shift in the optical response was observed. Thrombin cleaves poly-l-arginine hydrochloride into peptides. Thus, when thrombin was added, the optical signals generated by the LCs reverted from bright to dark because of the weakened ability of the fragments to induce electrostatic interactions. The limit of detection of the LC-based sensor was 0.25 ng/mL (6.7 pM) thrombin, and the sensor was fully reusable. The detection limit of our LC-based interface sensor is 600 times lower than that of a previously reported enzyme-linked aptamer assay for the detection of thrombin. Thus, we have established a new, simple thrombin biosensor with high sensitivity and low interference.     

Aptamer biosensor for protein detection using gold nanoparticles

Combining gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as fluorescence quencher and aptamer as probe, we have developed protein biosensors by using DNA-modified GNPs. We examined how the experimental design, such as the type of interaction between DNA strands and GNPs, temperature, and microenvironment of aptamer, influences the recognition ability of the biosensor. Under our experimental conditions, the recognition of protein by the complex of dye-labeled DNA hybridized with aptamer that is immobilized on GNPs (Ap-Im-GNPs) shows the best character in protein detection.     

One-step isolation of plasma membrane proteins using magnetic beads with immobilized concanavalin A

We have developed a simple method for isolating and purifying plasma membrane proteins from various cell types. This one-step affinity-chromatography method uses the property of the lectin concanavalin A (ConA) and the technique of magnetic bead separation to obtain highly purified plasma membrane proteins from crude membrane preparations or cell lines. ConA is immobilized onto magnetic beads by binding biotinylated ConA to streptavidin magnetic beads. When these ConA magnetic beads were used to enrich plasma membranes from a crude membrane preparation, this procedure resulted in 3.7-fold enrichment of plasma membrane marker 5′-nucleotidase activity with 70% recovery of the activity in the crude membrane fraction of rat liver. In agreement with the results of 5′-nucleotidase activity, immunoblotting with antibodies specific for a rat liver plasma membrane protein, CEACAM1, indicated that CEACAM1 was enriched about threefold relative to that of the original membranes. In similar experiments, this method produced 13-fold enrichment of 5′-nucleotidase activity with 45% recovery of the activity from a total cell lysate of PC-3 cells and 7.1-fold enrichment of 5′-nucleotidase activity with 33% recovery of the activity from a total cell lysate of HeLa cells. These results suggest that this one-step purification method can be used to isolate total plasma membrane proteins from tissue or cells for the identification of membrane biomarkers.     

Determination of lactate dehydrogenase in human erythrocytes by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was employed to analyze lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in human erythrocytes using an amperometric detector with a carbon fiber micro-disk bundle electrode. LDH activity was measured by determining the amount of NADH generated by LDH through a enzyme-catalyzed reaction between NAD(+) and lithium lactate. The factors influencing the enzyme-catalyzed reaction, separation and detection were examined and optimized. The following conditions were suitable for the determination of LDH: running buffer, 5.0 x 10(-2)mol/l Tris-HCl (pH 7.5); separation voltage, 20.0 kV; detection potential, 1.00 V (versus saturated calomel electrode (SCE)). The conditions of enzyme-catalyzed reaction were: reaction buffer, 5.0 x 10(-2)mol/l Tris-HCl (pH 9.3); substrates, 5.0 x 10(-2)mol/l lithium lactate and 5.0 x 10(-3)mol/l NAD(+); reaction time, 10 min. The concentration limit of detection (LOD) of the method was 0.017 U/ml at a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 3, which corresponded to 1.10 x 10(-10)mol/l, and the mass LOD was 2 x 10(-20)mol. The linear dynamic range was 0.039-4.65 U/ml for the injection voltage of 5.0 kV and injection time of 10s. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) was 0.85% for the migration time and 1.8% for the electrophoretic peak area. The method was applied to determine LDH in human erythrocytes. The recovery of the method was between 98 and 101%.     

Capillary electrophoretic enzyme immunoassay with electrochemical detection for thyroxine

A capillary electrophoretic enzyme immunoassay with electrochemical detection (CE-EIA-ED) has been developed. In this method, antigen (Ag) competes with horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled antigen (HRP-Ag) for a limited number of antibody (Ab) binding sites. The free HRP-Ag and the bound HRP-Ag-Ab complex are separated by capillary electrophoresis in a separation capillary. Then they catalyze the oxidation of their enzyme substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzide (TMB (reduced form)) with H(2)O(2) in a reaction capillary, which follows the separation capillary. The reaction product (TMB (oxidized form)) is amperometrically determined using a carbon fiber microdisk bundle electrode at the outlet of the reaction capillary. Due to the amplification of the enzyme, the concentration of TMB(Ox) is much higher than those of free HRP-Ag and the bound HRP-Ag-Ab complex. Therefore, the limit of detection (LOD) of CE-EIA-ED is very low. The method has been used to determine thyroxine in human serum. A concentration of LOD of 3.8 x 10(-9)mol/L, which corresponds to a mass LOD of 23.2 amol, was achieved.     

A multi-amplification aptasensor for highly sensitive detection of thrombin based on high-quality hollow CoPt nanoparticles decorated graphene

In this work, we have successfully demonstrated a facile strategy to incorporate high-quality hollow CoPt bimetal alloy nanoparticles (HCoPt) onto reduced graphene oxide sheet (HCoPt-RGs). An advanced sandwich-type electrochemical aptasensor for thrombin was proposed by using the HCoPt-RGs conjugates as secondary label. The formed conjugates provided large surface area for loading plentiful redox probe thionine (Thi), horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and secondary aptamer (Apt II) with good stability and friendly biocompatibility, indicating their superior properties in electroactive mediator enrichment and biomolecule immobilization. Furthermore, activated by glutaraldehyde (GA), the chitosan-hollow CoPt alloy nanoparticle (CS-HCoPt) film can greatly facilitate the capture of primary aptamer (Apt I) and dramatically reduce the nonspecific binding. Excellent sensitivity was obtained by detecting the conspicuously enhanced electrochemical signal of Thi, which was amplified by HCoPt alloy nanoparticles and HRP toward the catalytic reduction of H₂O₂. The aptasensor displayed excellent performance for thrombin with a wide linearity in the range from 1.0 × 10⁻¹² to 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ M and a relatively low detection limit of 3.4 × 10⁻¹³ M. Moreover, the resulted aptasensor also exhibited good specificity, acceptable reproducibility and stability, indicating that the present strategy could pave a promising way for the wide application of graphene in clinical research.     

Recyclable chaperone-conjugated magnetic beads for in vitro refolding of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Burkholderia cepacia</Emphasis> lipase

Polymer-coated magnetic beads have become widely used in biological applications because of their facile recovery and easily modifiable surface. Herein, we report the application of magnetic beads to in vitro refolding of B. cepacia lipase. Magnetic particles (Fe₃O₄) prepared by co-precipitation of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions under basic conditions were subsequently coated with carboxylic acid-containing polystyrene by emulsion polymerization. The polymer-coated magnetic beads were then conjugated with molecular chaperone proteins to assist with refolding. The chaperone-conjugated magnetic beads efficiently refolded B. cepacia lipase and were easily reused. The beads showed comparable refolding activity to the soluble chaperone, and retained more than 95% of their refolding activity after five cycles of refolding B. cepacia lipase.     

An electrochemical molecular recognition-based aptasensor for multiple protein detection

This article reports a simple electrochemical approach for the detection of multiple proteins (thrombin and lysozyme) using Dabcyl-labeled aptamer modified metal nanoparticles (DLAPs). DLAPs were immobilized on β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs) modified electrode by means of host–guest self-assembly. During the time of detection, the aptamers' structure will change due to the specific binding with corresponding proteins that forced DLAPs far away from the electrode that had been modified by β-CDs. Thus, the capture of target proteins onto DLAPs was translated via the electrochemical current signal offered by metal nanoparticles. Linearity of the aptasensor for quantitative measurements was demonstrated. Determinations of proteins in human real serum samples were also performed to demonstrate detection in real clinical samples.     

A rapid and sensitive method based on magnetic beads for the detection of hepatitis B virus surface antigen in human serum

Current clinically assays, such as enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and chemiluminescence immunoassay, for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) are inferior in terms of either sensitivity and accuracy or rapid and high‐throughput analysis. A novel assay based on magnetic beads and time‐resolved fluoroimmunoassay was developed for the quantitative determination of HBsAg in human serum. HBsAg was captured using two types of anti‐HBsAg monoclonal antibodies (B028, S015) immobilized on to magnetic beads and detected using europium‐labeled anti‐HBsAg polyclonal detection antibody. Finally, the assay yielded a high sensitivity (0.02 IU/mL) and a wide dynamic range (0.02–700 IU/mL) for HBsAg when performed under optimal conditions. Satisfactory accuracy, recovery and specificity were also demonstrated. The intra‐ and interassay coefficients of variation were 4.7–8.7% and 3.8–7.5%, respectively. The performance of this assay was further assessed against a well‐established commercial chemiluminescence immunoassay kit with 399 clinical serum samples. It was revealed that the test results for the two methods were in good correlation (Y = 1.182X – 0.017, R = 0.989). In the current study, we demonstrated that this novel time‐resolved fluoroimmunoassay could be used: as a highly sensitive, automated and high‐throughput immunoassay for the diagnosis of acute or chronic hepatitis B virus infection; for the screening of blood or organ donors; and for the surveillance of persons at risk of acquiring or transmitting hepatitis B virus. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.