The second part of Chapter 1 is discussed about site-specific chemical modification of peptides and proteins. Proteins have been used to generate therapeutic materials, proteins-based biomaterials. To achieve all these properties in protein there is a need for site-specific protein modification.
To be able to successfully monitor biomolecular interaction using AFM there is a need for organic linker molecule which helps one of the investigating molecules to get attached to the AFM tip. Most of the linker molecules available are capable of investigating one type of interaction at a time. Therefore, it is significant to have linker molecule which can monitor multiple interactions (same or different type) at the same time. Further, these linker molecules are modified so that biomolecular interactions can also be monitored using SPR instrument. Described in Chapter 2 are the synthesis of organic linker molecules and their use to study biomolecular interaction through AFM and SPR.
In Chapter 3, N-terminal chemical modification of peptides and proteins has been discussed. Further, modified peptides are attached to DNA thread for their translocation through the solid-state nanopore to identify them. Synthesis of various peptide-DNA conjugates and their nanopore studies have been discussed in this chapter.
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has been envisioned as a means of nanodiagnostics due to its single molecule sensitivity. However, the AFM based recognition imaging lacks a multiplex capacity to detect multiple analytes in a single test. Also there is no user friendly wet chemistry to functionalize AFM tips. Hence, an uncatalyzed Click Chemistry protocol was developed to functionalize AFM tips. For multiplexed recognition imaging, recognition heads based on a C3 symmetrical three arm linker with azide functionalities at its ends were synthesized and the chemistry to attach them to AFM tips was developed, and these recognition heads were used in detecting multiple proteins simultaneously using AFM.
A bis-Angiopeptide-2 conjugate with this three-arm linker was synthesized and this was conjugated with anti-West Nile virus antibody E16 site specifically to target advanced West Nile virus infection in the Central Nervous System. The bis-Angiopeptide-2 conjugate of the antibody shows higher efficacy compared to a linear linker-Angiopeptide-2 conjugate of the antibody in in vitro studies and currently the efficacy of this antibody conjugate in studied in mice. Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging (SPRi) results indicate that the conjugation does not affect the antigen binding activity of the antibody very significantly.
A Y-shaped bisbiotin ligand was also prepared as a small sized antibody mimic. Compared to a monovalent biotin ligand, the y-Bisbiotin can cooperatively form a significantly more stable complex with streptavidin through intramolecular bivalent interactions, which were demonstrated by gel electrophoresis, SPR and AFM. Continuing on these lines, a four-arm linker was synthesized containing three single chain variable fragments (scFv) linked to the scaffold to form a tripod base, which would allow them to concomitantly interact with a trimeric Glycoprotein (GP) spike that has a “chalice” configuration. Meanwhile, a human IgG1 Fc is to be installed on the top of the tetrahedron, exerting effector functions of a monoclonal antibody.
Exposure to fine particles can cause various diseases, and an easily accessible method to monitor the particles can help raise public awareness and reduce harmful exposures. Here we report a method to estimate PM air pollution based on analysis of a large number of outdoor images available for Beijing, Shanghai (China) and Phoenix (US). Six image features were extracted from the images, which were used, together with other relevant data, such as the position of the sun, date, time, geographic information and weather conditions, to predict PM2.5 index. The results demonstrate that the image analysis method provides good prediction of PM2.5 indexes, and different features have different significance levels in the prediction.
A novel portable wireless volatile organic compound (VOC) monitoring device with disposable sensors is presented. The device is miniaturized, light, easy-to-use, and cost-effective. Different field tests have been carried out to identify the operational, analytical, and functional performance of the device and its sensors. The device was compared to a commercial photo-ionization detector, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and carbon monoxide detector. In addition, environmental operational conditions, such as barometric change, temperature change and wind conditions were also tested to evaluate the device performance. The multiple comparisons and tests indicate that the proposed VOC device is adequate to characterize personal exposure in many real-world scenarios and is applicable for personal daily use.