Article abstract
Nature Chemistry 1, 461 - 465 (2009)
Published online: 24 August 2009 | doi:10.1038/nchem.334
Subject Categories: Analytical chemistry | Nanotechnology | Chemical biology
Sensing of proteins in human serum using conjugates of nanoparticles and green fluorescent protein
Mrinmoy De1, Subinoy Rana1, Handan Akpinar1, Oscar R. Miranda1, Rochelle R. Arvizo1, Uwe H. F. Bunz2 & Vincent M. Rotello1
Abstract
There is a direct correlation between protein levels and disease states in human serum, which makes it an attractive target for sensors and diagnostics. However, this is challenging because serum features more than 20,000 proteins, with an overall protein content greater than 1 mM. Here we report a sensor based on a hybrid synthetic–biomolecule that uses arrays of green fluorescent protein and nanoparticles to detect proteins at biorelevant concentrations in both buffer and human serum. Distinct and reproducible fluorescence-response patterns were obtained from five serum proteins (human serum albumin, immunoglobulin G, transferrin, fibrinogen and α-antitrypsin), both in buffer and when spiked into human serum. Using linear discriminant analysis we identified these proteins with an identification accuracy of 100% in buffer and 97% in human serum. The arrays were also able to discriminate between different concentrations of the same protein, as well as a mixture of different proteins in human serum.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 770 State Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
Correspondence to: Vincent M. Rotello1 e-mail: rotello@chem.umass.edu
