Development of nanoparticle-based sensing system for biomolecular interaction

Abstract

Nano-particle, a main material of nano-technology in 1 ~ 100 nm of size scale has a wide applicability in various research fields including physics, chemistry, biology, and medical science etc. Precisely, it is useful for a reaction catalyst, a building block for nano-patterning use, a molecular tag for diagnosis, and a nano-sized factor vehicle etc. For this purpose, several kinds of nano-particles are being manufactured by using metals, nonmetals, and semi-conductors etc. The nano-particles are spotlighted in several applications including bio-engineering areas, because they have physico-chemical or optical characteristics peculiar according to the kinds or sizes of core metals. Therefore, a lot of researches have been accomplished actively in bio-engineering fields in order to analyze a cell image and a protein interaction etc. by using these characteristics. In this paper, I demonstrated the noble detection system for biomolecular interaction using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between gold nanoparticle and quantum dot. At first by employing a streptavidin-biotin interaction as a model system, my sensing system enables us to assay the avidin concentration in sample solution. And another application, I showed this nanoparticles-based FRET system could be successfully used for the detection of protein glycosylation which is one of the most important post-translational modifications of proteins. In conventional methods, ELISA, microarray, electrochemical signal sensing, calorimetric sensing by aggregation between gold nanoparticles and the like have been attempted to detect inhibitors for bio-sensing that interferes a specific binding between bio-molecules. And there are several disadvantages like time-consuming or laborious process requested, labeling a specimen, amplifying a signal by an additional reaction, or needing a specimen in a large scale. However, my nanoparticles-based FRET system suggested noble detection method for a target molec...