Peptide-protein microarrays for the simultaneous detection of pathogen infections

We describe novel peptide-protein microarrays, which were fabricated using semicarbazide glass slides that permitted the immobilization of glyoxylyl peptides by site-specific ligation and the immobilization of proteins by physisorption. The arrays permitted the simultaneous serodetection of antibodies directed against hepatitis C virus (HCV core p21 15-45 peptide, NS4 1925-1947 peptide, core, NS3, NS4, and mixture of core, NS3, NS4, and NS5 antigens), hepatitis B virus (HBc, HBe, and HBs), human immunodeficiency virus (Gp41 and Gp120 for HIV-I and Gp36 for HIV-II), Epstein-Barr virus (VCAp18 153-176 peptide), and syphilis (rTpN47 and rTpN17) antigens using an immunofluorescence assay. Peptide-protein microarrays displayed high signal-to-noise ratios, sensitivities, and specificities for the detection of antibodies as revealed by the analysis of a collection of human sera referenced against these five pathogens.     

Peptide arrays for highly sensitive and specific antibody-binding fluorescence assays

We report a novel generation of peptide arrays fabricated by site-specific ligation of glyoxylyl peptides onto glass slides covered by a semicarbazide sol-gel layer. These arrays allowed the highly sensitive and specific detection of antibodies in very small blood samples from infected individuals using three model peptidic epitopes (HCV Core and NS4, EBV Capsid) in an immunofluorescence assay. Comparison with standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) demonstrated a large gain in sensitivity and specificity. These unique properties, combined with the possibility to immobilize glycoproteins such as antibodies, offer the possibility to perform sandwich immunofluorescent assays in a highly parallel format.     

Developing site-specific immobilization strategies of peptides in a microarray

In peptide-based microarrays, most existing methods do not allow for site-specific immobilization of peptides on the glass surface. We have developed two new approaches for site-specific immobilization of kinase substrates onto glass slides: (1) slides were functionalized with avidin for attachment of biotinylated peptides; and (2) slides were functionalized with thioester for attachment of N-terminally cysteine-containing peptides via a native chemical ligation reaction.     

Polypeptide semicarbazide glass slide microarrays: characterization and comparison with amine slides in serodetection studies

We have described in the accompanying article the preparation of peptide-protein semicarbazide microarrays and their use for the simultaneous serodetection of antibodies directed against different pathogens. Here, we present a comparative study between semicarbazide and amine glass slides in an immunofluorescent serodetection assay using HIV (Gp120, Gp41), HCV (mix-HCV, core, NS3, and NS4), and HBV (HBs) recombinant antigens. Amine and semicarbazide surfaces displayed the same sensitivity for antibodies detection just after printing. However, the reactivity of protein antigens changed rapidly upon aging on amine slides but not on semicarbazide slides. Peptide or protein semicarbazide microarrays were found to be remarkably stable for months. Additional data concerning the characterization of the semicarbazide surface (homogeneity of the slides, chemical stability, contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy studies, reproducibility of serodetection results) are also presented and discussed.     

Attachment of benzaldehyde-modified oligodeoxynucleotide probes to semicarbazide-coated glass

Attachment of oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing benzaldehyde (BAL) groups to semicarbazide-coated glass (SC-glass) slides is described. 5′-BAL-ODNs are prepared using automated DNA synthesis and an acetal-protected BAL phosphoramidite reagent. The hydrophobic protecting group simplifies purification of BAL-ODNs by reverse phase HPLC and is easily removed using standard acid treatment. The electrophilic BAL-ODNs are stable in solution, but react specifically with semicarbazide groups to give semicarbazone bonds. Glass slides were treated with a semicarbazide silane to give SC-glass. BAL-ODNs are coupled to the SC-glass surface by a simple one-step procedure that allows rapid, efficient and stable attachment. Hand-spotted arrays of BAL-ODNs were prepared to evaluate loading density and hybridization properties of immobilized probes. Hybridization to radiolabeled target strands shows that at least 30% of the coupled ODNs were available for hybridization at maximum immobilization density. The array was used to probe single nucleotide polymorphisms in synthetic DNA targets, and PCR products were correctly genotyped using the same macroarray. Application of this chemistry to manufacturing of DNA microarrays for sequence analysis is discussed.     

蛋白质微阵列检测抗原-抗体相互作用

为了制备蛋白质微阵列和研究芯片表面抗原-抗体的相互作用,研究了如何在玻片表面固化蛋白质和用荧光染料（Cy3,Cy5）对蛋白质进行标记.结果表明,在醛基修饰的玻璃表面,通过共价偶联的方法将抗原或抗体固定到芯片表面,能使二者保持其特异性结合能力.同时,荧光标记后的抗原或抗体仍然具有特异性结合能力.蛋白质微阵列是通过机械手在玻片表面排阵制作的.芯片上的荧光信号获取采用了激光共焦荧光扫描系统.用不同浓度的抗原探针阵列,对其相应的抗体靶分子的特异性结合进行了分析和研究.此外,还通过在玻片表面固定兔IgG和固定鼠IgG,对羊抗兔和羊抗鼠抗体与其相应抗原的特异性相互作用进行了检测.     

Peptide and small molecule microarray for high throughput cell adhesion and functional assays

A novel class of chemical microchips consisting of glass microscope slides was prepared for the covalent attachment of small molecule ligands and peptides through site-specific oxime bond or thiazolidine ring ligation reaction. Commercially available microscope slides were thoroughly cleaned and derivatized with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES). The amino slides were then converted to glyoxylyl derivatives via two different routes: (1) coupling of Fmoc-Ser followed by deprotection and oxidation, or (2) coupling with protected glyoxylic acid and final deprotection with HCl. Biotin or peptide ligands derivatized at the carboxyl terminus with a 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine succinimic acid linker and an amino-oxy group or a 1,2-amino-thiol group (e.g., cysteine with a free N(alpha)-amino group) were printed onto these slides using a DNA microarray spotter. After chemical ligation, the microarray of immobilized ligands was analyzed with three different biological assays: (1) protein-binding assay with fluorescence detection, (2) functional phosphorylation assay using [gamma(33)P]-ATP and specific protein kinase to label peptide substrate spots, and (3) adhesion assay with intact cells. In the cell adhesion assay, not only can we determine the binding specificity of the peptide against different cell lines, we can also determine functional cell signaling of attached cells using immunofluorescence techniques in situ on the microchip. This chemical microchip system enables us to rapidly analyze the functional properties of numerous ligands that we have identified from the "one-bead one-compound" combinatorial library method.     

Affibody protein capture microarrays: synthesis and evaluation of random and directed immobilization of affibody molecules

Affibody molecules, 58-amino acid three-helix bundle proteins directed to different targets by combinatorial engineering of staphylococcal protein A, were used as capture ligands on protein microarrays. An evaluation of slide types and immobilization strategies was performed to find suitable conditions for microarray production. Two affibody molecules, Z(Taq) and Z(IgA), binding Taq DNA polymerase and human IgA, respectively, were synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis using an orthogonal protection scheme, allowing incorporation of selective immobilization handles. The resulting affibody variants were used for random surface immobilization (through amino groups) or oriented surface immobilization (through cysteine or biotin coupled to the side chain of Lys58). Evaluation of the immobilization techniques was carried out using both a real-time surface plasmon resonance biosensor system and a microarray system using fluorescent detection of Cy3-labeled target protein. The results from the biosensor analyses showed that directed immobilization strategies significantly improved the specific binding activity of affibody molecules. However, in the microarray system, random immobilization onto carboxymethyl dextran slides and oriented immobilization onto thiol dextran slides resulted in equally good signal intensities, whereas biotin-mediated immobilization onto streptavidin-coated slides produced slides with lower signal intensities and higher background staining. For the best slides, the limit of detection was 3 pM for IgA and 30 pM for Taq DNA polymerase.     

Determination of glyoxylyl-peptide concentration using oxime chemistry and RP-HPLC analysis.

Glyoxylyl-peptides are useful peptide derivatives in the context of hydrazone, oxime or thiazolidine ligations. We describe a method for the determination of glyoxylyl-peptide concentration based on the reaction of the alpha-oxo aldehyde group with an excess of O-benzylhydroxylamine. The amount of O-benzylhydroxylamine necessary to convert the alpha-oxo aldehyde group into the corresponding O-benzyloxime was determined by RP-HPLC analysis and corresponded to the quantity of glyoxylyl-peptide used in the experiment. The method is rapid, sensitive, accurate and allows the automated analysis of several samples.     

An Activated GOPS‐poly‐L‐Lysine‐ Coated Glass Surface for the Immobilization of 60mer Oligonucleotides

To explore a method for enhancing the immobilization and hybridization efficiency of oligonucleotides on DNA microarrays, conventional protocols of poly‐L‐lysine coating were modified by means of surface chemistry, namely, the slides were prepared by the covalently coupling of poly‐L‐lysine to a glycidoxy‐modified glass surface. The modified slides were then used to print microarrays for the detection of the SARS coronavirus by means of 60mer oligonucleotide probes. The characteristics of the modified slides concerning immobilization efficiency, hybridization dynamics, and probe stripping cycles were determined. The improved surface exhibited high immobilization efficiency, a good quality uniformity, and satisfactory hybridization dynamics. The spotting concentration of 10 μmol/L can meet the requirements of detection; the spots were approximately 170 nm in diameter; the mean fluorescence intensity of the SARS spots were between 3.2 × 10⁴ and 5.0 × 10⁴ after hybridization. Furthermore, the microarrays prepared by this method demonstrated more resistance to consecutive probe stripping cycles. The activated GOPS‐PLL slide could undergo hybridization stripping cycles for at least three cycles, and the highest loss in fluorescence intensity was found to be only 11.9 % after the third hybridization. The modified slides using the above‐mentioned method were superior to those slides treated with conventional approaches, which theoretically agrees with the fact that modification by surface chemistry attaches the DNA covalently firmly to the slides. This protocol may have great promise in the future for application in large‐scale manufacture.     

Protein microarrays on hybrid polymeric thin films prepared by self-assembly of polyelectrolytes for multiple-protein immunoassays

We report here the development and characterization of protein microarrays fabricated on nanoengineered 3-D polyelectrolyte thin films (PET) deposited on glass slide by consecutive adsorption of polyelectrolytes via self-assembly technique. Antibodies or antigens were immobilized in the PET-coated glass slides by electrostatic adsorption and entrapment of porous structure of the 3-D polymer film and thus establishing a platform for parallel analysis. Both antigen and antibody microarrays were fabricated on the PET-coated slides, and direct and indirect immunoassays on protein microarrays for multiple-analyte detection were demonstrated. Microarrays produced on these PET-coated slides have consistent spot morphology and provide performance features needed for proteomic analysis. The protein microarrays on the PET films provide LOD as low as 6 pg/mL and dynamic ranges up to three orders of magnitude, which are wider than the protein microarrays fabricated on aldehyde and poly-L-lysine functionalized slides. The PET films constructed by self-assembly technique in aqueous solution is green chemistry based, cost-effective method to generate 3-D thin film coatings on glass surface, and the coated slide is well suited for immobilizing many types of biological molecules so that a wide variety of microarray formats can be developed on this type of slide.     

用氨基修饰的载玻片制作cDNA微阵列

cDNA微阵列已在基因差异表达、寻找新基因等研究方面获得广泛应用,但有关cDNA微阵列的制作,目前多采用多聚赖氨酸修饰的载玻片为探针固定载体,固定效果较差.用氨基硅烷处理的载玻片为载体制作cDNA微阵列,然后考察其固定效率、检测灵敏度、稳定性、实用性等指标.结果表明,用氨基硅烷处理的载玻片具有比多聚赖氨酸更令人满意的核酸固定效率、检测灵敏度,且稳定实用.因此,用氨基硅烷修饰的载玻片为探针固定载体制作cDNA微阵列较为理想.     

蛋白质微阵列生产用琼脂糖修饰玻片制备的条件优化

目的:建立一种以琼脂糖修饰的玻片为载体的蛋白质微阵列制备的优化方法,比较琼脂糖修饰玻片和醛基修饰玻片及氨基修饰玻片对蛋白质固定效率的优劣。方法:将羊IgG固定在载体表面,经过洗涤、封闭,再加入Cy3标记的兔抗羊IgG,孵育,洗涤后用共聚焦激光扫描仪获取图像,检测各点的荧光强度,根据荧光强度确定最佳琼脂糖浓度,最佳NaIO4浓度,最佳固定时间以及封闭时间等实验条件。结果:琼脂糖浓度为1.2％、NaIO4浓度为20mmol／L、固定时间为1h、孵育时间为45min时,蛋白质在载体上的固定效率和反应活性最高。在固定的抗体浓度相同的情况下,琼脂糖修饰玻片荧光强度是醛基修饰玻片的2.6倍,是氨基修饰玻片的9倍。结论:确立了蛋白质微阵列生产用琼脂糖修饰玻片制备的优化条件,用该优化条件制备的琼脂糖玻片更适合用于蛋白质微阵列载体。     

Direct and nondestructive verification of PNA immobilization using click chemistry

The fluorogenic 1,3-Huisgen dipolar cycloaddition reaction was used as part of a novel immobilization strategy of PNA capture probes on a microarray. By using this click chemistry, azidocoumarin-anchored PNA probes were immobilized on phenyl acetylene-modified glass slides with the simultaneous generation of the fluorescent triazolylcoumarin moiety. Since the emitting moieties are generated in the immobilization reaction itself, fluorescent signals can be used to directly monitor the integrity of immobilization in a nondestructive manner. By using this strategy, PNA microarrays were prepared and successfully employed to perform microarray-based diagnosis of selected mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1.     

Functionalization of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a substrate for DNA microarrays

A chemical procedure was developed to functionalize poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates. PMMA is reacted with hexamethylene diamine to yield an aminated surface for immobilizing DNA in microarrays. The density of primary NH₂ groups was 0.29 nmol/cm². The availability of these primary amines was confirmed by the immobilization of DNA probes and hybridization with a complementary DNA strand. The hybridization signal and the hybridization efficiency of the chemically aminated PMMA slides were comparable to the hybridization signal and the hybridization efficiency obtained from differently chemically modified PMMA slides, silanized glass, commercial silylated glass and commercial plastic Euray™ slides. Immobilized and hybridized densities of 10 and 0.75 pmol/cm², respectively, were observed for microarrays on chemically aminated PMMA. The immobilized probes were heat stable since the hybridization performance of microarrays subjected to 20 PCR heat cycles was only reduced by 4%. In conclusion, this new strategy to modify PMMA provides a robust procedure to immobilize DNA, which is a very useful substrate for fabricating single use diagnostics devices with integrated functions, like sample preparation, treatment and detection using microfabrication and microelectronic techniques.     

Functional peptide microarrays for specific and sensitive antibody diagnostics

Peptide microarrays displaying biologically active small synthetic peptides in a high-density format provide an attractive technology to probe complex samples for the presence and/or function of protein analytes. We present a new approach for manufacturing functional peptide microarrays for molecular immune diagnostics. Our method relies on the efficiency of site-specific solution-phase coupling of biotinylated synthetic peptides to NeutrAvidin (NA) and localized microdispensing of peptide-NA-complexes onto activated glass surfaces. Antibodies are captured in a sandwich manner between surface immobilized peptide probes and fluorescence-labeled secondary antibodies. Our work includes a total of 54 peptides derived from immunodominant linear epitopes of the T7 phage capsid protein, Herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D, c-myc protein, and three domains of the Human coronavirus polymerase polyprotein and their cognate mAbs. By using spacer molecules of different type and length for NA-mediated peptide presentation, we show that the incorporation of a minimum spacer length is imperative for antibody binding, whereas the peptide immobilization direction has only secondary importance for antibody affinity and binding. We further demonstrate that the peptide array is capable of detecting low-picomolar concentrations of mAbs in buffered solutions and diluted human serum with high specificity.     

Improving protein array performance: focus on washing and storage conditions

For protein microarrays, maintaining protein stability during the slide processing steps of washing, drying, and storage is of major concern. Although several studies have focused on the stability of immobilized antibodies in antibody microarrays, studies on protein-protein interaction arrays and enzyme arrays are lacking. In this paper we used five bait-prey protein interaction pairs and three enzymes to optimize the washing, drying, and storage conditions for protein arrays. The protein arrays for the study were fabricated by combining HaloTag technology and cell-free protein expression. The HaloTag technology, in combination with cell-free expression, allowed rapid expression and immobilization of fusion proteins on hydrogel-coated glass slides directly from cell extracts without any prior purification. Experimental results indicate enzyme captured on glass slides undergoes significant loss of activity when washed and spin-dried using only phosphate buffer, as is typically done with antibody arrays. The impact of washing and spin-drying in phosphate buffer on protein-protein interaction arrays was minimal. However, addition of 5% glycerol to the wash buffer helps retain enzyme activity during washing and drying. We observed significant loss of enzyme activity when slides were stored dry at 4 degrees C, however immobilized enzymes remained active for 30 days when stored at -20 degrees C in 50% glycerol. We also found that cell-free extract containing HaloTag-fused enzymes could undergo multiple freeze/thaw cycles without any adverse impact on enzyme activity. The findings indicate that for large ongoing studies, proteins of interest expressed in cell-free extract can be stored at -70 degrees C and repeatedly used to print small batches of protein array slides to be used over a few weeks.     

Combinatorial peptide microarrays for the rapid determination of kinase specificity

We report a rapid method for profiling of kinases using a strategy that couples the merits of combinatorics (in rapid diversity generation) with the throughput attainable using microarrays (in parallel screening). Alanine-scanning, deletion and positional-scanning peptide libraries of a kinase substrate were synthesized and site-specifically arrayed onto glass slides. The phosphorylation pattern of target sequences detected using fluorescently-labeled antiphosphoamino acid antibodies revealed the substrate preference of the kinase through its activity profile.     

Performance of antibody microarrays fabricated by either DNA-directed immobilization, direct spotting, or streptavidin-biotin attachment: a comparative study

Antibody microarrays have the potential to revolutionize protein diagnostics. The major problems in the fabrication of antibody arrays, however, concern the reproducibility and homogeneity of the attachment of the proteins on the solid substrate. We here compare the DNA-directed immobilization (DDI) method with two conventional strategies for immobilization of antibodies on glass substrates. DDI is based on the self-assembly of semisynthetic DNA-streptavidin conjugates which converts an array of DNA oligomers into an antibody microarray. DDI was compared with direct spotting of antibodies on chemically activated glass slides and with immobilization of biotinylated antibodies on streptavidin-coated slides. The immobilized antibodies were used as capture reagents in a two-sided (sandwich) immunoassay for the quantification of rabbit IgG as a model antigen. Detection limits down to 0.001nM (150 pg/mL) were attained with all three array formats; however, DDI and direct spotting of the antibodies led to the highest fluorescence intensities. DDI led to the best spot homogeneity and intra- and interexperimental reproducibility. Moreover, DDI allowed highly economical use of antibody materials; that is, at least 100-fold less antibody is needed for preparing an array by DDI instead of by direct spotting. Taking into account the greater versatility and convenience of handling of the self-assembly approach, this study demonstrates that DDI is an advantageous alternative for generating versatile and robust protein arrays.     

Combined thioether/hydrazone chemoselective ligation reactions for the synthesis of glycocluster-antigen peptide conjugates

Hydrazone/thioether ligation reactions show promise for the synthesis of clustered glycosides-antigen conjugates. Due to its propensity to aggregate, tetanus toxoid-derived epitopic peptide TT(830-846) was elected to further evaluate this three-component ligation process. This difficult sequence was supplemented by a hydrazine or a glyoxylyl group either at its C- or N-terminus. The peptide-hydrazines or peptide-aldehydes thus obtained were coupled with glyoxylyl- (or hydrazino-) N-chloroacetylated-L-lysinyl trees and 2-thioethyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside. As anticipated the ligations were controlled by the nature of the peptide and proved difficult for the C-terminal aldehyde derivative. However, when the process was performed in absence of buffer and using mannitol as a dispersing agent, all combinations finally led to the expected glycoconjugates in 40-60% purified yields.