Hybrid Approach Combining Boronate Affinity Magnetic Nanoparticles and Capillary Electrophoresis for Efficient Selection of Glycoprotein-Binding Aptamers

Ultrasensitive electrochemical sensor for lipopolysaccharide detection catalyzed by 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic diimide

BACKGROUND

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial endotoxin prevalent in Gram-negative pathogens (e.g., Escherichia coli), induces severe immune responses linked to endotoxemia and hepatitis. Despite its clinical significance, conventional LPS detection methods (e.g., limulus amebocyte lysate assays) face challenges including operational complexity, high cost, and limited sensitivity. Addressing these limitations necessitates the development of innovative strategies for ultrasensitive LPS quantification.

RESULTS

We present an electrochemical biosensor integrating dual-signal amplification: (1) affinity amplification via phenylboronic acid-cis-diol covalent binding on LPS polysaccharide chains, and (2) photocatalytic amplification using perylene diimide (PDI)-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (Photo-ATRP) under red light (615-650 nm). Thiol-functionalized DNA aptamers enable specific LPS capture, while PDI catalyzes rapid ferrocene monomer polymerization, achieving exponential signal enhancement. The sensor demonstrates exceptional performance: (1) Ultrahigh sensitivity: Detection limit of 0.25 fg/mL. (2) Wide dynamic range: Linear response from 1.0 fg/mL to 0.1 pg/mL. (3) Robust specificity: Minimal interference in human serum matrices.

SIGNIFICANCE

This work establishes a paradigm for LPS detection through three key advances: (1) Operational simplicity: Eliminates enzymatic/nanomaterial dependencies via metal-free PDI photocatalysis. (2) Translational utility: Serum compatibility supports clinical diagnostics and point-of-care applications. (3) Catalytic innovation: Validates PDI as a high-efficiency photocatalyst for controlled polymer synthesis. The sensor's low-cost fabrication, rapid response (<4.5 h), and femtomolar sensitivity position it as a transformative tool for sepsis monitoring and biomedical research.

Distinguishable Colorimetric Biosensor for Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer Bone Metastases

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (PCa) causes severe bone metastasis (BM), which significantly increases mortality in men with PCa. Imaging tests and radiometric scanning require long analysis times, expensive equipment, specialized personnel, and a slow turnaround. New visualization technologies are expected to solve the above problems. Nonetheless, existing visualization techniques barely meet the urgency for precise diagnosis because the human eyes cannot recognize and capture even slight variations in visual information. By using dye differentiated superposition enhancement colorimetric biosensors, an effective method to diagnose prostate cancer bone metastases (PCa-BM) with excellent accuracy for naked-eye quantitative detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is developed. The biomarker ALP specific hydrolytic product ascorbic acid can be detected by rhodamine derivatives (Rd) as gold nanobipyramids (Au NBPs) are deposited and grown. Color-recombining enhancement effects between Rd and Au NBPs significantly improved abundance. The 150 U L-1 threshold between normal and abnormal can be identified by color. And with color enhancement effect and double signal response, the ALP index is visually measured to diagnose PCa-BM and provide handy treatment recommendations. Additionally, the proposed colorimetric sensing strategy can be used to diagnose other diseases.

Biosensors with Boronic Acid-Based Materials as the Recognition Elements and Signal Labels

It is of great importance to have sensitive and accurate detection of cis-diol-containing biologically related substances because of their important functions in the research fields of metabolomics, glycomics, and proteomics. Boronic acids can specifically and reversibly interact with 1,2- or 1,3-diols to form five or six cyclic esters. Based on this unique property, boronic acid-based materials have been used as synthetic receptors for the specific recognition and detection of cis-diol-containing species. This review critically summarizes the recent advances with boronic acid-based materials as recognition elements and signal labels for the detection of cis-diol-containing biological species, including ribonucleic acids, glycans, glycoproteins, bacteria, exosomes, and tumor cells. We also address the challenges and future perspectives for developing versatile boronic acid-based materials with various promising applications.

A comparative study of aptamer isolation by conventional and microfluidic strategies

Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotide molecules that bind with high affinity and specificity to a wide range of target molecules. The method of systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) plays an essential role in the isolation of aptamers from a randomized oligonucleotide library. To date, significant modifications and improvements of the SELEX process have been achieved, engendering various forms of SELEX from conventional SELEX to microfluidics-based full-chip SELEX. While full-chip SELEX is generally considered advantageous over conventional SELEX, there has not yet been a conclusive comparison between the methods. Herein, we present a comparative study of three SELEX strategies for aptamer isolation, including those using conventional agarose bead-based partitioning, microfluidic affinity selection, and fully integrated microfluidic affinity selection and PCR amplification. Using immunoglobulin E (IgE) as a model target molecule, we compare these strategies in terms of the time and cost for each step of the SELEX process including affinity selection, amplification, and oligonucleotide conditioning. Target-binding oligonucleotides in the enriched pools are sequenced and compared to assess the relative efficacy of the SELEX strategies. We show that the microfluidic strategies are more time- and cost-efficient than conventional SELEX.

Boronate Affinity-Amplified Electrochemical Aptasensing of Lipopolysaccharide

As lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is closely associated with sepsis and other life-threatening conditions, the point-of-care (POC) detection of LPS is of significant importance to human health. In this work, we illustrate an electrochemical aptasensor for the POC detection of low-abundance LPS by utilizing boronate affinity (BA) as a simple, efficient, and cost-effective amplification strategy. Briefly, the BA-amplified electrochemical aptasensing of LPS involves the tethering of the aptamer receptors and the BA-mediated direct decoration of LPS with redox signal tags. As the polysaccharide chain of LPS contains hundreds of cis-diol sites, the covalent crosslinking between the phenylboronic acid group and cis-diol sites can be harnessed for the site-specific decoration of each LPS with hundreds of redox signal tags, thereby enabling amplified detection. As it involves only a single-step operation (∼15 min), the BA-mediated signal amplification holds the significant advantages of unrivaled simplicity, rapidness, and cost-effectiveness over the conventional nanomaterial- and enzyme-based strategies. The BA-amplified electrochemical aptasensor has been successfully applied to specifically detect LPS within 45 min, with a detection limit of 0.34 pg/mL. Moreover, the clinical utility has been validated based on LPS detection in complex serum samples. As a proof of concept, a portable device has been developed to showcase the potential applicability of the BA-amplified electrochemical LPS aptasensor in the POC testing. In view of its simplicity, rapidness, and cost-effectiveness, the BA-amplified electrochemical LPS aptasensor holds broad application prospects in the POC testing.

Tannic acid-directed synthesis of magnetic and boronic acid-functionalized metal-organic frameworks for selective extraction and quantification of catecholamines in human urine

A novel magnetic borate-functionalized metal-organic framework nanocomposite was designed and fabricated for selective enrichment of catecholamines from human urine. Firstly, the polytannic acid (PTA) layer with natural low-cost and ecofriendly polyphenol tannic acid as the organic ligand and Fe³⁺ as the cross-linker was coated onto the surface of Fe₃O₄. Then, the borate-functionalized metal-organic framework (MIL-100(Fe)-B) with 5-boronobenzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid as a ligand fragment was modified onto the PTA-coated Fe₃O₄ through a metal-ligand-fragment coassembly strategy. The obtained smart porous adsorbent Fe₃O₄@PTA@MIL-100(Fe)-B was confirmed by means of several characterization methods and then applied as an effective magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) sorbent for specific extraction of trace catecholamines in human urine. The Plackett-Burman design was used for screening the variables significantly affecting the extraction efficiency. Then, the significant factors were further investigated by the Box-Behnken design to determine the optimal extraction conditions. Under the optimal conditions, a method for selective MSPE combined with high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector for the quantitation of catecholamines in human urine was developed and validated. With the proposed method, the linearity range was from 0.500 to 500 ng mL^-1 for norepinephrine and epinephrine and from 1.00 to 500 ng mL^-1 for dopamine. The detection limits were 0.050, 0.11, and 0.20 ng mL^-1 for norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine, respectively. The recoveries from spiking experiments varied from 91.5 to 108% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.80-4.8%. The established method is rapid, sensitive, accurate, inexpensive, and ecofriendly and was successfully applied to the determination of the target catecholamines in human urine samples.

How does DNA 'meet' capillary-based microsystems?

DNA possesses various chemical and physical properties which make it important in biological analysis. The opportunity for DNA to 'meet' capillary-based microsystems is rapidly increasing owing to the expanding development of miniaturization. Novel capillary-based methods can provide favourable platforms for DNA-ligand interaction assay, DNA translocation study, DNA separation, DNA aptamer selection, DNA amplification assay, and DNA digestion. Meanwhile, DNA exhibits great potential in the fabrication of new capillary-based biosensors and enzymatic bioreactors. Moreover, DNA has received significant research interest in improving capillary electrophoresis (CE) performance. We focus on highlighting the advantages of combining DNA and capillary-based microsystems. The general trend presented in this review suggests that the 'meeting' has offered a stepping stone for the application of DNA and capillary-based microsystems in the field of analytical chemistry.

X-aptamers targeting Thy-1 membrane glycoprotein in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Modified DNA aptamers incorporated with amino-acid like side chains or drug-like ligands can offer unique advantages and enhance specificity as affinity ligands. Thy-1 membrane glycoprotein (THY1 or CD90) was previously identified as a biomarker candidate of neovasculature in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The current study developed and evaluated modified DNA X-aptamers targeting THY1 in PDAC. The expression and glycosylation of THY1 in PDAC tumor tissues were assessed using immunohistochemistry and quantitative proteomics. Bead-based X-aptamer library that contains 108 different sequences was used to screen for high affinity THY1 X-aptamers. The sequences of the X-aptamers were analyzed with the next-generation sequencing. The affinities of the selected X-aptamers to THY1 were quantitatively evaluated with flow cytometry. Three high affinity THY1 X-aptamers, including XA-B217, XA-B216 and XA-A9, were selected after library screening and affinity binding evaluation. These three X-aptamers demonstrated a high binding affinity and specificity to THY1 protein and the THY1 expressing cell lines, using THY1 antibody as a comparison. The development of these X-aptamers provides highly specific and non-immunogenic affinity ligands for THY1 binding in the context of biomarker development and clinical applications. They could be further exploited to assist molecular imaging of PDAC targeting THY1.

SELEX-based DNA Aptamer Selection: A Perspective from the Advancement of Separation Techniques

DNA aptamers, which are short, single-stranded DNA sequences that selectively bind to target substances (proteins, cells, small molecules, metal ions), can be acquired by means of the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) methodology. In the SELEX procedure, one of the keys for the effective acquisition of high-affinity and functional aptamer sequences is the separation stage to isolate target-bound DNA from unbound DNA in a randomized DNA library. In this review, various remarkable advancements in separation techniques for SELEX-based aptamer selection developed in this decade, are described and discussed, including CE-, microfluidic chip-, solid phase-, and FACS-based SELEX along with other methods.

PEI-assisted boronate affinity magnetic nanoparticle-based SELEX for efficient in vitro evolution of saponin-binding aptamers

Branched polyethyleneimine assisted boronate affinity magnetic nanoparticle-based aptamer evolution platform.

Epitope-Imprinted Magnetic Nanoparticles as a General Platform for Efficient In Vitro Evolution of Protein-Binding Aptamers

Aptamers are usually created by in vitro selection using a strategy termed systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). Although numerous SELEX alternatives with improved selection efficiency have been developed, the overall success rate of SELEX at present is still not very ideal, which remains a great obstacle to aptamer-based research and application. In this study, an efficient and facile SELEX method was developed for in vitro screening of protein-binding aptamers, applying epitope-imprinted magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) that exhibit highly favorable binding properties as a general affinity platform. As a proof of the principle, myoglobin (Mb) and β₂-microglobulin were employed as two target proteins. Two satisfied aptamers toward each target protein, with the dissociation constant at the 10^-8 M level and cross-reactivity less than 16.5%, were selected within three rounds, taking only 1 day. A dual aptamer-based fluorescence sandwich assay was constructed using a pair of the selected aptamers. The resulting assay allowed for quantitatively detecting Mb in human serum and distinguishing acute myocardial infarction patients from healthy individuals. The epitope-imprinted MNP-based SELEX is straightforward and generally applicable for a wide range of target proteins, providing a promising aptamer selection tool for aptamer-based research and real-world applications.

Aptamers targeting protein-specific glycosylation in tumor biomarkers: general selection, characterization and structural modeling

Detecting specific protein glycoforms is attracting particular attention due to its potential to improve the performance of current cancer biomarkers. Although natural receptors such as lectins and antibodies have served as powerful tools for the detection of protein-bound glycans, the development of effective receptors able to integrate in the recognition both the glycan and peptide moieties is still challenging. Here we report a method for selecting aptamers toward the glycosylation site of a protein. It allows identification of an aptamer that binds with nM affinity to prostate-specific antigen, discriminating it from proteins with a similar glycosylation pattern. We also computationally predict the structure of the selected aptamer and characterize its complex with the glycoprotein by docking and molecular dynamics calculations, further supporting the binary recognition event. This study opens a new route for the identification of aptamers for the binary recognition of glycoproteins, useful for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Binary recognition of the glycoprotein prostate specific antigen by aptamers: a tool for detecting aberrant glycosylation associated with cancer.

Convenient Construction of Orthogonal Dual Aptamer-Based Plasmonic Immunosandwich Assay for Probing Protein Disease Markers in Complex Samples and Living Animals

Aptamers, because of their outstanding merits including simple synthesis and easy modification, have been widely used as antibody alternatives to construct novel immunosandwich assays. Dual aptamer-based sandwich assays exhibit multiple advantages over conventional immunosandwich assays and single aptamer-based sandwich assays. However, their construction is hampered by the limited knowledge of binding orthogonality of aptamers reported in the literature. Herein, we present a new strategy for conveniently constructing an orthogonal dual aptamer-based plasmonic immunosandwich assay (odA-PISA) for probing proteins in complex samples and living animals. An orthogonal aptamer pair was first efficiently selected from the aptamers reported in the literature by affinity capillary electrophoresis. Then, a target protein-capturing gold thin-layer-coated probe and silver nanoparticle-based Raman labeling nanotags were conveniently prepared with the selected aptamers and used to construct the assay. The double aptamers used ensured the specificity, whereas the plasmonic coupling effect between the target-capturing probe and the generated Raman nanotags significantly enhanced the Raman signal intensity, providing high sensitivity. As a proof of principle, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was used as the target. The constructed odA-PISA exhibited high specificity and high sensitivity toward ALP, giving cross-reactivity ≤ 4.2% and the limit of detection of 3.8 pM (S/N = 4). The quantitative determination of ALP in human serum and probing ALP in tumor-bearing mice were achieved, showing the great application potential of the method. This strategy is widely applicable to other protein disease markers. Therefore, it opened a new access to the construction of sensitive dual aptamer-based sandwich assays for real-world applications, particularly disease diagnosis.

Evolution of multi-functional capillary electrophoresis for high-efficiency selection of aptamers

Aptamers have drawn considerable attention as newly emerging molecular recognition elements in clinical diagnostics, drug delivery, therapeutics, environmental monitoring, and food safety analyses. As the in vitro screening antibody analogs, aptamers are enabled to recognize various types of targets with high affinity and specificity like or even superior to antibodies. However, the restrictions and inefficiency of selection have been hampering their wider application. Among various modified systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) methods, capillary electrophoresis (CE)-SELEX holds multiple functions and advantages with the powerful qualitative and quantitative analysis capabilities, less consumption of sample and analytical reagent, natural binding environment, higher screening efficiency, and availability in multiple modes. This review summarizes the key developments in the area of CE-SELEX by leading research groups, including our teams' ten years of research and experience to help researchers fully understand and utilize CE-SELEX. Aptamers' history, applications, as well as the SELEX developments, have been briefly described; the advantages of CE-SELEX are highlighted compared with the conventional SELEX methods. Further, we describe some essential CE-SELEX models and provide an overview of the CE-SELEX, including the targets and ssDNA library, every technical point in the selection process, and post-SELEX protocol. We expect this review will inspire more researchers to have insight into the screening problems from CE-SELEX viewpoint and will help to improve the selection efficiency and probability of success to meet the growing needs of aptamers' discovery in bioanalytical and medical fields.

High-efficiency selection of aptamers for bovine lactoferrin by capillary electrophoresis and its aptasensor application in milk powder

Capillary electrophoresis-based systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (CE-SELEX) is a high-efficient technique for aptamers selection, and has been evolved into many modes. In this study, we obtained the aptamer against bovine lactoferrin (BLF) with high affinity (dissociation constant, K_d = 20.74 ± 6.89 nM) and good specificity (>1000 folds) using single step CE-SELEX (ssCE-SELEX) mode. In the selection process, ssCE demonstrated high-efficiency selection with bulk K_d reaching at 0.19 ± 0.04 μM by only two rounds, as compared to capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) mode with K_d of 0.39 ± 0.03 μM. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed by two methods of high output (Hiseq) and medium output (Miseq) with different sequencing depths, and their same results of high-frequency sequences confirmed the reliability of the obtained sequences. Through affinity analysis, the primer region and single base mutation (SBM) were observed to affect the sequence structure and to result in affinity change. Besides, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was performed to validate the binding affinity of the candidates with BLF by analyzing binding sites, interaction forces, and binding free energy. Moreover, BLF detection in milk powder matrices was completed successfully with the optimized CE-aptasensor. The signal response was in a good linear relationship (R² = 0.9930) with 4-128 nM of BLF and the detection limit was 1 nM. The obtained results of BLF in four milk powder samples were in an acceptable agreement with the labeled concentrations. This study presented a completed CE based process including aptamers selection, affinity characterization, and detection application, which also validated the high-efficiency selection of ssCE-SELEX mode.

Online reaction based single-step capillary electrophoresis-systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment for ssDNA aptamers selection

Capillary electrophoresis-systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (CE-SELEX) has proven to be an effective technique for aptamers selection. In this study, we present an online reaction based convenient single-step CE-SELEX (ssCE-SELEX) mode with human thrombin (H-Thr) as a model target. The selection progress was monitored through bulk K_d analysis, which showed more than a 1000-fold improvement over the initial library after two rounds of selection. Three selected candidate sequences presented high binding affinities against H-Thr with nanomolar (nM) K_d determined by nonequilibrium capillary electrophoresis of equilibrium mixtures (NECEEM, 56.4-177.1 nM) and CE based non-linear fitting (CE-NLF, 98.2-199.7 nM). They also exhibited high specificities towards H-Thr compared with bovine thrombin, IgG, lysozyme, and lactoferrin. Meanwhile, the K_d results by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) confirmed the effective CE in measuring the aptamer affinity. In addition, three candidates were applied as aptasensors in the AuNPs based colorimetric assay, which showed visible color change and good linear relationships (R² > 0.93) with H-Thr concentration. Furthermore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was performed to validate the binding of the three candidates with H-Thr by binding sites and binding free energy. The ssCE-SELEX method avoids off-line incubation, saves time and sample, and may provide a universal and convenient method for aptamers selection.

Controllably Prepared Aptamer-Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Hybrid for High-Specificity and High-Affinity Recognition of Target Proteins

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and aptamers, as effective mimics of antibodies, can overcome only some drawbacks of antibodies. Since they have their own advantages and disadvantages, the combination of MIPs with aptamers could be an ideal solution to produce hybrid alternatives with improved properties and desirable features. Although quite a few attempts have been made in this direction, a facile and controllable approach for the preparation of aptamer-MIP hybrids still remains lacking. Herein, we present a new approach for facile and controllable preparation of aptamer-MIP hybrids for high-specificity and high-affinity recognition toward proteins. An aptamer that can bind the glycoprotein alkaline phosphatase (ALP) with relative weak affinity and specificity was used as a ligand, and controllable oriented surface imprinting was carried out with an in-water self-polymerization system of dopamine. A thin layer of polydopamine was formed to cover the template to an appropriate thickness. After removing the template from the polymer, an aptamer-MIP hybrid with apparently improved affinity and specificity toward ALP was obtained, giving cross-reactivity of 3.2-5.6% and a dissociation constant of 1.5 nM. With this aptamer-MIP hybrid, a plasmonic immunosandwich assay (PISA) was developed. Reliable detection of ALP in human serum by the PISA was demonstrated.

Glycan-Imprinted Magnetic Nanoparticle-Based SELEX for Efficient Screening of Glycoprotein-Binding Aptamers

Nucleic acid aptamers, as useful alternatives of antibodies, have found a large range of promising applications such as affinity separation and bioassays. The screening of aptamers is critical for their applications. Aptamers are often screened by an in vitro methodology called SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment). Although numerous SELEX methods have been established to facilitate the selection, new efficient selection methods are still much needed. Molecularly imprinted polymers, which are antibody alternatives at the material level and competitors of aptamers, have not been used as a platform for aptamer selection yet so far. In this study, a glycan-imprinted magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs)-based SELEX was developed to efficiently screen aptamers against glycoproteins. Glycan-imprinted MNPs were used as an affinity interface to bind target glycoprotein, and then the target glycoprotein-bound MNPs were used as an affinity substrate for aptamer selection. The glycan-imprinted MNPs were synthesized by a state-of-the-art imprinting approach called boronate affinity controllable oriented surface imprinting. The glycan-imprinted MNPs exhibited high affinity and specificity and therefore allowed preferential binding toward target glycoproteins while excluding unwanted species. Two representative glycoproteins, including RNase B and transferrin, were employed as target glycoproteins, and aptamers with high affinity and specificity toward the two target glycoproteins were screened out in 3 rounds. This method exhibited some merits, such as high affinity, fast speed, and avoiding negative screening. Therefore, the glycan-imprinted MNP-based SELEX approach holds great values for the efficient screening of high-performance aptamers.

Online reaction based single-step CE for Protein-ssDNA complex obtainment to assist aptamer selection

CE application in aptamer selection (CE-SELEX) shows more advantages than other selection methods. In this study, an online reaction based single-step CE (ssCE) mode was employed for fast obtaining protein-ssDNA complex. Using human thrombin (H-Thr) and its aptamer Apt29 as models, we accomplished the procedures of mixing, reaction, separation, detection and complex collection in single step online process, which took about 10 min to obtain the H-Thr/Apt29 complex. Important factors, affecting the aptamer and H-Thr interaction (buffer, ratio of aptamer and H-Thr amount), and complex separation and collection (voltage and temperature) were discussed. Later, the online reaction of H-Thr with an 80 nt ssDNA library was realized under optimized conditions, and the H-Thr/ssDNA complex was collected and subjected to PCR. By analyzing the PCR product through capillary gel electrophoresis, the resulting approximative 80 nt DNA length validated the ssDNA sequence in complex. To confirm the availability of ssCE mode, two ssDNA libraries with different lengths (56 nt and 82 nt ssDNA) and three proteins (platelet derived growth factor, PDGF-BB; lactoferrin protein, LF; and single-strand DNA binding protein, SSB) were utilized. Their complex peaks were also observed in electropherograms as expected. Additionally, the online incubation of ssDNA and H-Thr was achieved by stopping the separation voltage for some time when ssDNA passed the H-Thr zone. Our results show the ssCE mode has apparent merits of saving time and sample cost for aptamer selection against protein targets.

Selection of aptamers against Lactoferrin based on silver enhanced and fluorescence-activated cell sorting

We report a novel method for efficiently screening aptamers from a complex ssDNA library based on silver decahedral nanoparticles (AgNP) and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). In this method, target protein (lactoferrin) and negative proteins (α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin, casein) were respectively immobilized on polystyrene microspheres (PS) to form PS^Lac, PS^α-Lac, PS^β-Lac, PS^BSA and PS^Cas. PS^Lac was firstly interacted with Cy5 labeled library (Lib), then hybridized with Cy5 modified silver decahedral nanoparticles (AgNP^Cy5) to form PS^Lac/Lib/AgNP^Cy5 conjugates. FACS was used to separate and collect PS^Lac/Lib/AgNP^Cy5 conjugates from complicated complex. AgNP was used to increase the fluorescence intensity in the selecting process and choose non-self-hybridization of Lib. Six aptamers (Ylac1, Ylac4, Ylac5, Ylac6, Ylac8 and Ylac9) were obtained after five-round of selection. These aptamers showed good specificity towards lactoferrin in the presence of negative proteins. The equilibrium dissociation constants (K_d) of six aptamers were calculated and all were in the nanomolar range. In a word, AgNP-FACS SELEX (AgFACS-SELEX) is a rapid, sensitive and highly efficient method for screening aptamers.

Affinity capillary electrophoresis for studying interactions in life sciences

Affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) analyzes noncovalent interactions between ligands and analytes based on changes in their electrophoretic mobility. This technique has been widely used to investigate various biomolecules, mainly proteins, polysaccharides and hormones. ACE is becoming a technique of choice to validate high throughput screening results, since it is very predictively working in realistic and relevant media, e.g. in body fluids. It is highly recommended to incorporate ACE as a powerful analytical tool to properly prepare animal testing and preclinical studies. The interacting molecules can be found free in solution or can be immobilized to a solid support. Thus, ACE is classified in two modes, free solution ACE and immobilized ACE. Every ACE mode has advantages and disadvantages. Each can be used for a variety of applications. This review covers literature of scopus and SciFinder data base in the period from 2016 until beginning 2018, including the keywords "affinity capillary electrophoresis", "immunoaffinity capillary electrophoresis", "immunoassay capillary electrophoresis" and "immunosorbent capillary electrophoresis". More than 200 articles have been found and 112 have been selected and thoroughly discussed. During this period, the data processing and the underlying calculations in mobility shift ACE (ms ACE), frontal analysis ACE (FA ACE) and plug-plug kinetic capillary electrophoresis (ppKCE) as mostly applied free solution techniques have substantially improved. The range of applications in diverse free solution and immobilized ACE techniques has been considerably broadened.

Influence of fluorine substituents on the properties of phenylboronic compounds

Rapid development of research on the chemistry of boronic acids is connected with their applications in organic synthesis, analytical chemistry, materials’ chemistry, biology and medicine. In many applications Lewis acidity of boron atoms plays an important role. Special group of arylboronic acids are fluoro-substituted compounds, in which the electron withdrawing character of fluorine atoms influences their properties. The present paper deals with fluoro-substituted boronic acids and their derivatives: esters, benzoxaboroles and boroxines. Properties of these compounds, i.e. acidity, hydrolytic stability, structures in crystals and in solution as well as spectroscopic properties are discussed. In the next part examples of important applications are given.

A sensitive assay based on specific aptamer binding for the detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in milk samples by microchip capillary electrophoresis

The detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is very important for the prevention of food poisoning and other infectious diseases. Here we reported a simple and sensitive strategy to test S. Typhimurium by microchip capillary electrophoresis couple with laser-induced fluorescence (MCE-LIF) based on the specific reaction between the bacterium and corresponding aptamers. Based on the differences in charge to mass ratio between bacteria-aptamer complexes and free aptamers, a separation of the complexes and free aptamers could be obtained by MCE. The optimal parameters of the specific reaction including fluorescent dye concentration, Mg²⁺ concentration, incubation time, and pH of incubation solution were carefully investigated. Meanwhile, a non-specific DNA was exploited as a contrast for the detection of S. Typhimurium. Under the optimal conditions, a rapid separation of the bacteria-aptamer complex and free aptamers was achieved within 135 s with a limit of detection (S/N = 3) of 3.37 × 10² CFU mL^-1. This method was applied for the detection of S. Typhimurium in fresh milk samples and a recovery rate of 95.8% was obtained. The experimental results indicated that the specific aptamers are of enough biostability and the established method could be used to analyze S. Typhimurium in foods.

Synthesis and Applications of Boronate Affinity Materials: From Class Selectivity to Biomimetic Specificity

Due to the complexity of biological systems and samples, specific capture and targeting of certain biomolecules is critical in much biological research and many applications. cis-Diol-containing biomolecules, a large family of important compounds including glycoproteins, saccharides, nucleosides, nucleotides, and so on, play essential roles in biological systems. As boronic acids can reversibly bind with cis-diols, boronate affinity materials (BAMs) have gained increasing attention in recent years. However, real-world applications of BAMs are often severely hampered by three bottleneck issues, including nonbiocompatible binding pH, weak affinity, and difficulty in selectivity manipulation. Therefore, solutions to these issues and knowledge about the factors that influence the binding properties are of significant importance. These issues have been well solved by our group in past years. Our solutions started from the synthesis and screening of boronic acid ligands with chemical moieties favorable for binding at neutral and acidic pH. To avoid tedious synthesis routes, we proposed a straightforward strategy called teamed boronate affinity, which permitted facile preparation of BAMs with strong binding at neutral pH. To enhance the affinity, we confirmed that multivalent binding could significantly enhance the affinity toward glycoproteins. More interestingly, we observed that molecular interactions could be significantly enhanced by confinement within nanoscale spaces. To improve the selectivity, we investigated interactions that govern the selectivity and their interplays. We then proposed a set of strategies for selectivity manipulation, which proved to be useful guidelines for not only the design of new BAMs but also the selection of binding conditions. Applications in metabolomic analysis, glycoproteomic analysis, and aptamer selection well demonstrated the great potential of the prepared BAMs. Molecular imprinting is an important methodology for creating affinity materials with antibody-like binding properties. Boronate affinity-based covalent imprinting is a pioneering approach in molecular imprinting, but only a few cases of successful imprinting of glycoproteins by this method were reported. With sound understanding of boronate affinity, we developed two facile and generally applicable boronate affinity-based molecular imprinting approaches. The resulting boronate affinity molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) exhibited dramatically improved binding properties, including biocompatible binding pH range, enhanced affinity, improved specificity, and superb tolerance to interference. In terms of nanoconfinement effect, we explained why the binding pH range was widened and why the affinity was enhanced. The excellent binding properties made boronate affinity MIPs appealing alternatives to antibodies in promising applications such as disease diagnosis, cancer-cell targeting, and single-cell analysis. In this Account, we survey the key aspects of BAMs, the efforts we made to solve these issues, and the connections between imprinted and nonimprinted BAMs. Through this survey, we wish to pave a sound fundamental basis of the dependence of binding properties of BAMs on the nature and structure of the ligands and the supporting materials, which can facilitate the development and applications of BAMs. We also briefly sketch remaining challenges and directions for future development.

Molecularly Imprinted Plasmonic Substrates for Specific and Ultrasensitive Immunoassay of Trace Glycoproteins in Biological Samples

Assays of glycoproteins hold significant biological importance and clinical values, for which immunoassay has been the workhorse tool. As immunoassays are associated with disadvantages such as poor availability of high-specificity antibodies, limited stability of biological reagents, and tedious procedure, innovative alternatives that can overcome these drawbacks are highly desirable. Plasmonic immunosandwich assay (PISA) has emerged as an appealing alternative to immunoassay for fast and sensitive determination of trace glycoproteins in biosamples. Plasmonic substrates play key roles in PISA, not only in determining the specificity but also in greatly influencing the detection sensitivity. Herein, we report a new type of molecularly imprinted plasmonic substrates for rapid and ultrasensitive PISA assay of trace glycoproteins in complex real samples. The substrates were fabricated from glass slides, first coated with self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and then molecularly imprinted with organo-siloxane polymer in the presence of template glycoproteins. The prepared molecularly imprinted substrates exhibited not only a significant plasmonic effect but also excellent binding properties, ensuring the sensitivity as well as the specificity of the assay. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and α-fetoprotein (AFP), glycoproteins that are routinely used as disease markers in clinical diagnosis, were used as representative targets. The limit of detection (LOD) was 3.1 × 10^-12 M for ALP and 1.5 × 10^-14 M for AFP, which is the best among the PISA approaches reported. The sample volume required was only 5 μL, and the total time required was within 30 min for each assay. Specific and ultrasensitive determination of ALP and AFP in human serum was demonstrated. Because many disease biomarkers are glycoproteins, the developed PISA approach holds great promise in disease diagnostics.