Part 2.N-[m-(3-(trifluoromethyl)diazirine-3-yl)phenyl]-4- (-3-thio(-1-D-galactopyrannosyl)-maleimidyl)butyramide (MAD-Gal) on diamond

Glycoarray by DNA-directed immobilization

Glycoarrays have become a powerful platform to investigate the interactions of many biological events involving carbohydrates. The carbohydrates immobilization on the surface of the substrates is a key step of glycoarray fabrication. Plenty of strategies have been applied to the immobilization process. Herein a protocol for the synthesis of oligonucleotide glycomimetic conjugates is proposed. The resulting molecules are immobilized by hybridization on a DNA microarray (DNA-directed immobilization; DDI). DDI has been proved to be a very efficient and site-selective. This protocol provides detailed procedures for the preparation of fluorescent oligonucleotide trigalactosylmimetic conjugates and for the preparation of carbohydrate microarrays by DDI on glass slides.

Specific recognition of lectins by oligonucleotide glycoconjugates and sorting on a DNA microarray

Two glycoconjugates bearing different DNA tags are mixed in solution with lectins; both interact with their specific lectin and the resulting complexes are sorted, according to their DNA sequences, at the surface of micro-reactors bearing the immobilised complementary DNA sequences.

DNA-directed immobilisation of glycomimetics for glycoarrays application: comparison with covalent immobilisation, and development of an on-chip IC50 measurement assay

Glycoarrays are powerful tools for the understanding of protein/carbohydrate interactions and should find applications in the diagnosis of diseases involving these interactions. Immobilisation of the carbohydrate probe is a key issue in the elaboration of high performance devices. In the present study, we have compared the fluorescent signal intensity and determined the lower detection limit of glycoconjugates immobilised at two concentrations (0.5 and 25 microM) by DNA-directed immobilisation (DDI), to glycoconjugates covalently immobilised on the solid support (borosilicate glass slide). At 0.5 microM, DDI led to a stronger fluorescence signal (by a factor of 4.5) and to a lower detection limit (20 nM) than covalent immobilisation (higher than 200 nM). We also report the development of an IC(50) measurement assay of DDI immobilised glycoconjugates. We found that the relative affinity per galactose residue of RCA 120 for glycoconjugates bearing one or three galactose residues was different by a factor of 23 when measured under IC(50) conditions or by direct fluorescence reading.

Development and application of diazirines in biological and synthetic macromolecular systems

Many different reagents and methodologies have been utilised for the modification of synthetic and biological macromolecular systems. In addition, an area of intense research at present is the construction of hybrid biosynthetic polymers, comprised of biologically active species immobilised or complexed with synthetic polymers. One of the most useful and widely applicable techniques available for functionalisation of macromolecular systems involves indiscriminate carbene insertion processes. The highly reactive and non-specific nature of carbenes has enabled a multitude of macromolecular structures to be functionalised without the need for specialised reagents or additives. The use of diazirines as stable carbene precursors has increased dramatically over the past twenty years and these reagents are fast becoming the most popular photophors for photoaffinity labelling and biological applications in which covalent modification of macromolecular structures is the basis to understanding structure-activity relationships. This review reports the synthesis and application of a diverse range of diazirines in macromolecular systems.

A scanning near-field optical microscope approach to biomolecule patterning

In view of future generations of biosensors and advanced biomaterials, photochemistry in the near field using scanning near-field optical microscopy is investigated. The potential of direct near-field-induced photoactivation is demonstrated on standard photoresist. Photoimmobilization of maleimidoaryldiazirine on silicon substrates and bovine serum albumin on glass substrates is achieved, opening the way to a controlled biopatterning of surfaces with submicrometer feature size. The obtained patterns are characterized using atomic force microscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS), and near-field fluorescence microscopy.

Immobilisation on polystyrene of diazirine derivatives of mono- and disaccharides: biological activities of modified surfaces

The potential of surface glycoengineering for biomaterials and biosensors originates from the importance of carbohydrate-protein interactions in biological systems. The strategy employed here utilises carbene generated by illumination of diazirine to achieve covalent bonding of carbohydrates. Here, we describe the synthesis of an aryl diazirine containing a disaccharide (lactose). Surface analysis techniques [X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS)] demonstrate its successful surface immobilisation on polystyrene (PS). Results are compared to those previously obtained with an aryl diazirine containing a monosaccharide (galactose). The biological activity of galactose- or lactose-modified PS samples is studied using rat hepatocytes, Allo A lectin and solid-phase semi-synthesis with alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase. Allo A shows some binding to galactose-modified PS but none to lactose-modified surfaces. Similar results are obtained with rat hepatocytes. In contrast, sialylation of lactose-modified PS is achieved but not with galactose-modified surfaces. The different responses indicate that the biological activity depends not only on the carbohydrate per se but also on the structure and length of the spacer.