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Label-free detection becomes crystal clear

Nature Biotechnology volume 22, pages 172–173 (2004)Cite this article

Liquid crystalline platforms offer fast, simple and inexpensive detection of incoming analytes on two-dimensional fluid biomembrane mimics.

The binding of ligands to cell membrane–bound receptors plays a critical role in a wide range of fields from cell-cell signaling and lymphocyte trafficking to the immune and inflammatory responses1,2. For example, the initial step in pathogen attack on a human host usually involves the binding and rearrangement of cell surface moieties by the incoming virus or protein toxin. Moreover, it is generally estimated that half of prescription drugs target membrane-bound receptors3. Only a handful of widely applied techniques are available for monitoring ligand-receptor binding. Most of them either require a label to be attached to the incoming analyte or involve complex optical and surface patterning methods for readout. This has motivated the search for label-free assays to rapidly detect protein-membrane interactions without requiring special optics, temperature control or thin film metal surfaces. As a step toward this goal, Brake et al.4 report in Science the use of a thermotropic liquid crystal, 4′-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl, as a responsive support for phos-pholipid monolayers.

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Figure 1: Molecular interactions at a phospholipid coated surface on a liquid crystal.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, 3255 TAMU, PO Box 30012, College Station, 77843, Texas, USA

    Paul S Cremer

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  1. Paul S Cremer
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Cremer, P. Label-free detection becomes crystal clear. Nat Biotechnol 22, 172–173 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0204-172

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