This research was supported in part by a National Research Service Award (T32GM07616) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

1. Setup Experimental e Preparação de Amostras <ol><li> Fabricar microtoroids usando a litografia, gravura, e procedimento de fusão como descrito anteriormente 6. Fabricar microtoroids no topo de uma pastilha de silício (chip) que tipicamente têm um diâmetro maior de 80-100 um, e um diâmetro menor de 2 um. </li><li> Descontraia-se cerca de um metro de fibra óptica monomodo (125 revestimento mm, 4,3 mm de diâmetro campo mode) a partir do seu carretel fibra. </li><li> No meio da porção de desenrolado de fibra óptica, retirar um pequeno segmento (2,5 cm) do revestimento do polímero em torno da fibra óptica usando descascadores de fios. Nota: Esta é a porção da fibra óptica que será usado para evanescently luz par no microtoroid. </li><li> Limpe a fibra descascada com álcool isopropílico e um fiapo livre wipe. </li><li> Mantenha essa porção da fibra no local usando um suporte feito de fibra de grampos magnéticos. </li><li> Diluir a fibra evaporadas para ~ 500 nm por Melting e puxando através de um maçarico de hidrogénio e dois motores passo a passo que se deslocam em direcções opostas a 60 uM / min. Posicionar a fibra óptica no interior da porção superior da chama, a qual deve ser ~ 10 mm de altura. Pare de puxar a fibra, quando a transmissão através da fibra pára flutuante, que pode ser monitorizada quer visualmente (observando a luz que é dispersa lateralmente a partir do piscar de fibras dentro e fora) ou conectando-se a fibra para um fotodiodo, que está ligada a um osciloscópio . </li><li> Cleave uma extremidade da fibra óptica e insira-o em um adaptador de fibra nua. Coloque esta extremidade da fibra para a entrada do fotorreceptor. </li><li> Fibra par a outra extremidade da bobina de fibra para o laser, utilizando um acoplador de fibra óptica. </li><li> Colocar o chip microtoroid no topo de um suporte de amostras (de aço inoxidável, 37,8 mm x 6.4 mm x 3,2 mm) usando um epoxi ou fita adesiva de dupla face. </li><li> Montar o suporte da amostra no topo de uma fase que compreende o posicionamento de um nano-posicionamento de 3 eixos (nanocube) estágio (veja lista de equipamentos) em cima de um micrômetro de 3 eixos. Executar todas as experiências em uma mesa óptica pneumaticamente isolada para minimizar as vibrações. </li><li> Posição grosseira o chip amostra usando o micrômetro de 3 eixos. </li><li> Alinhar o contendo microtoroid chip de paralelo para a fibra óptica utilizando o nano-posicionador. Nota: Alinhar o microtoroid dentro de uma distância de um comprimento de onda da luz de entrada (~ 633 nm). Para a visualização de usar este processo de duas colunas de imagem (tubo com a lente objectiva e da câmara, ver lista de equipamento), posicionado na parte superior e no lado do chip. </li><li> Optimizar a polarização da luz laser dirigida através da fibra óptica utilizando um controlador de polarização em-linha (ver lista de equipamentos) com um botão para ajustar a polarização. Nota: polarização óptima é conseguida quando o mergulho medido na transmissão da fibra óptica é exibido o mais estreito. Observe este mergulho em um osciloscópio (veja o passo 2.2 para mais detalhes). </li><li> Construiruma câmara de amostra por epoxying uma lamela de vidro sobre o estágio da amostra usando uma lâmina de vidro como um espaçador. Nota: Um gabinete de Plexiglas cobrindo toda a configuração pode ser útil para minimizar as correntes de ar. Uma pequena abertura deve ser deixada para permitir que a solução seja bombeada utilizando tubagem. </li><li> Equilibrar termicamente suspensões ou soluções aquosas de partículas de molécula única para ≥ 1 hora num banho de água a temperatura ambiente (~ 500 mL). Nota: As amostras são diluídas para a concentração desejada em tubos de microcentrífuga utilizando os tampões associados especificados pelo fabricante, por exemplo, PBS ou HEPES. Se não forem detectados eventos de ligação, aumenta a concentração de sal do tampão de. </li><li> Vortex partículas contendo soluções (1 ml) rapidamente para ~ 2 seg. </li><li> Injectar as soluções contendo partículas para dentro da câmara da amostra em 1 mL / min usando uma bomba de seringa de 1 ml. </li><li> Após a câmara de amostra preencheu, desligar a bomba de seringa. </li><li> Aguarde 30 segundos antes de gravar dados para minimizaros efeitos das vibrações mecânicas resultantes do fluxo de fluido que pode afectar a medição. </li></ol> Fecho 2. Freqüência <ol><li> Re-par do toro para a fibra óptica, movendo o suporte de amostra com o nanopositioner, porque o acoplamento será alterada devido à injecção de fluido. </li><li> Localize o comprimento de onda de ressonância do microtoroid digitalizando o laser de entrada controlado por computador através de uma variedade de comprimentos de onda. Executar este passo, enviando um sinal de tensão da forma de onda triangular com um elemento piezoeléctrico dentro do controlador laser que regula o comprimento de onda do laser. Realizar experimentos usando luz visível (635 nm ± 2,5 nm) como há baixa absorção da luz na água neste comprimento de onda. </li><li> Medir a transmissão de luz através da fibra óptica ligando a saída da fibra óptica para um fotorreceptor auto-equilibrado. Ligue a saída do fotorreceptor em um osciloscópio usando um cabo BNC. Observe on o osciloscópio que ao comprimento de onda de ressonância do microtoroid, a transmissão através da fibra óptica gotas. </li><li> Anexar a saída do fotorreceptor para o principal insumo da frequência de bloqueio controlador de feedback (ver lista de equipamentos) através de um cabo. </li><li> Execute o controlador de feedback frequência de bloqueio no modo de bloqueio automático usando pico top-of-bloqueio com uma frequência de 2 kHz dither e uma amplitude de comprimento de onda oscilação de 19 fm. Empiricamente definir as configurações proporcional-integral derivativos na janela do software usando as regras de ajuste de Ziegler-Nichols 14. Nota: Estes valores só precisa ser definido uma vez no início de todos os experimentos. </li><li> Auto-travar o comprimento de onda do laser no comprimento de onda de ressonância do microtoroid. Faça este passo após o enchimento da câmara de amostra. Nota: Se o deslocamento do comprimento de onda é muito grande, então o controlador de feedback vai perder bloqueio e mudar automaticamente para o modo de digitalização, a fim de localizar o local de comprimento de onda de ressonância. Este occurs para comprimento de onda se desloca maior do que aproximadamente uma largura de linha (pelo menos 600 fm para todos os sistemas estudados aqui). </li><li> Gravar a saída do controlador de realimentação a 20 kHz utilizando uma 24-bit placa de aquisição de dados. Exportar os dados como um arquivo de texto via software de aquisição de dados. </li></ol> 3. Processamento de Dados e Análise <ol><li> Transformada de Fourier os dados em MATLAB. </li><li> Low passar os dados usando um filtro &quot;-parede de tijolos&quot; com um ponto de corte em 1 kHz para remover a freqüência exaltação imposto de 2 kHz (ver Código Suplementar Arquivo Screenshot 1). </li><li> Computacionalmente notch filtrar os dados usando um tamanho de janela de 16 Hz. Nota: Isto é feito para remover fontes conhecidas de ruído, neste caso, 60 Hz ruído na linha eletrônica e suas harmônicas, assim 100 Hz (vindo do motorista laser) e suas harmônicas (ver Código Suplementar Arquivo Screenshot 1). </li><li> Transformada de Fourier inversa os dados de volta para o domínio do tempo. </li><li> Filtro Median os dados usando uma janelatamanho de 1.001 amostras (ver Código Suplementar Arquivo de tela 2). </li><li> Localize mudanças graduais no comprimento de onda de ressonância usando o algoritmo de encontrar passo de Kerssemakers et al. 15. </li><li> Gerar histogramas de a amplitude de cada passo de ligação. </li><li> Calcular o tamanho de partícula usando a Eq. (1) (ver Discussão). </li></ol>

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The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

Como uma partícula se liga, o comprimento de onda de ressonância (λ) do toro aumenta. Se uma partícula unbinds, o comprimento de onda de ressonância correspondentemente diminui (um evento passo-baixo). O diâmetro das partículas (d) pode ser determinada através de histogramas da amplitude de cada passo de comprimento de onda. A altura de cada degrau varia de comprimento de onda, devido às variações de tamanho de partícula do ligado e devido à localização na microtoroid onde se liga a part...

Experiências individuais de detecção de moléculas são úteis para reduzir a quantidade de analito usada em biossensores, para a detecção precoce da doença, e para examinar as propriedades fundamentais de moléculas 3. Tais experiências são tipicamente realizada utilizando etiquetas, no entanto, etiquetas nem sempre são possíveis de obter, para uma proteína em particular, aumentar o custo, pode perturbar os eventos a ser estudada, e pode ser inconveniente, particularmente para tempo real no local de experiências ou ponto-de- diagnóstico cuidado. O padrão de ouro para biosensoriamento corrente livre de marcador é ressonância de plasma de superfície 4, no entanto os sistemas de ressonância de plasmon de superfície comercial tipicamente tem um limite inferior de detecção típico da ordem de nM. Recentemente, ressonadores ópticos emergiram como uma tecnologia promissora para livre-label única molécula biodetection 5. Ressonadores trabalho óptico baseado nas de longo prazo (ns) confinamento da luz 6,7. A luz é evanescentlyacoplado a estes dispositivos, normalmente através de uma fibra óptica. Quando o comprimento de onda da luz que passa através da fibra corresponde ao comprimento de onda de ressonância do ressonador, luz de forma eficiente acopla ao ressonador. Isto reflecte a luz acoplada totalmente internamente dentro da cavidade do ressonador gerando um campo evanescente na vizinhança da circunferência do ressonador. Medida que as partículas entram no campo evanescente e ligam-se ao ressoador, o comprimento de onda de ressonância do ressonador as alterações na proporção do volume da partícula 8. Em termos de capacidade de detecção, ressoadores de microsferas têm sido anteriormente utilizados para detectar a gripe A única partículas de vírus (100 nm) 9,10. Recentemente, plasmonically-reforçada de microsferas ressonadores ópticas têm sido utilizadas para detectar soro bovino único moléculas de albumina e 11 oligonucleótidos 8-meros 12, no entanto, esta abordagem limita a área de captura da partícula de 0,3 um por de 2vício. Biossensores maiores da área de captura são ideais para maximizar a chance de detecção de partículas. Biosensoriamento tecnologias atuais baseados na solução livre de rótulo com grandes áreas de captura (&gt; 100 mm 2) limitaram-se a detecção de partículas de poliestireno ≥ 25 nm. Nós desenvolvemos um sistema biosensoriamento livre de marcador com base na tecnologia ressonador óptico conhecido como a frequência de travamento óptica Sussurrar Evanescentes ressonador (FLOR) 13 (Figura 1) que é capaz de detecção resolvida no tempo de moléculas individuais em solução. FLOR usa o tempo de vida do fóton longo dos ressonadores óticos microtoroid combinados com frequência de bloqueio de controle de feedback, detecção equilibrada, e filtragem computacional para detectar as pequenas partículas para baixo para moléculas de proteínas individuais. A utilização de frequência de bloqueio permite que o sistema sempre controlar o deslocamento de ressonância do microtoroid como partículas ligar, sem a necessidade de varrer ou digitalizar o comprimento de onda do laser sobregrandes intervalos. Os princípios da FLOR pode ser usado para melhorar as capacidades de detecção de outras técnicas, incluindo aprimoramento plasmonic. No que se segue, os procedimentos para a realização de FLOR são descritos.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="396">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="20" style="height:15.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="20" style="height:15.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">Tunable diode laser</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Newport</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">TLB-6300</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20" style="height:15.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="20" style="height:15.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">Laser controller</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Newport</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">TLB-6300-LN</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40" style="height:30.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="40" style="height:30.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">Frequency locking feedback controller</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Toptica Photonics</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Digilock 110</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40" style="height:30.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="40" style="height:30.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">Auto-balanced photoreceiver</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Newport</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Model 2007</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40" style="height:30.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="40" style="height:30.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">In-line polarization controller</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">General Photonics</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">PLC-003-S-90</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40" style="height:30.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="40" style="height:30.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">24-bit data acquisition card</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">National Instruments</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">NI-PCI-4461</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60" style="height:45.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="60" style="height:45.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">Recombinant human interleukin-2</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Pierce Biotechnology</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">R201520</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40" style="height:30.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="40" style="height:30.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">20 nm polystyrene beads</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">3020A</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40" style="height:30.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="40" style="height:30.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">NanoCube XYZ Piezo Stage</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Physik Instrumente</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">P-611.3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20" style="height:15.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="20" style="height:15.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">Optical table</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Newport</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">VH3660W-OPT</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40" style="height:30.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="40" style="height:30.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">Objective lens for imaging column</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Navitar Machine Vision</td>
			<td class="xl64">1-60228</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40" style="height:30.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="40" style="height:30.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">Imaging column (adaptor tube)</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Navitar Machine Vision</td>
			<td class="xl65">1-60228</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60" style="height:45.0pt">
			<td class="xl63" height="60" style="height:45.0pt;width:99pt" width="132">High-Res CCD camera for imaging column</td>
			<td class="xl63" style="width:99pt" width="132">Edmund Industrial Optics</td>
			<td class="xl64">NT39244</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

label-free single molecule detection using microtoroid optical resonators

Detecção de pequenas concentrações de moléculas até o único limite molécula tem impacto sobre áreas como a detecção precoce da doença, e estudos fundamentais sobre o comportamento das moléculas. Técnicas de detecção de moléculas individuais comumente utilizam rótulos como marcadores fluorescentes ou pontos quânticos, no entanto, os rótulos não são sempre disponível, aumentar o custo ea complexidade, e pode perturbar os eventos que estão sendo estudados. Ressoadores ópticos têm emergido como um meio promissor para detectar moléculas individuais, sem o uso de etiquetas. Atualmente, a menor partícula detectada por um sistema ressonador não plasmonically-reforçada nua óptica em solução é uma esfera de poliestireno de 25 nm 1. Nós desenvolvemos uma técnica conhecida como Bloqueio de frequência óptica Whispering Evanescent ressonador (FLOR), que pode ultrapassar esse limite e conseguir única molécula de detecção livre-label em solução aquosa a 2. Como a força do sinal escalas com o volume de partículas, o nosso trabalho representa um&gt; 100x improvement na relação sinal-ruído (SNR) em relação ao estado actual da técnica. Aqui, os procedimentos por trás FLOR são apresentados em um esforço para aumentar o seu uso no campo.

Eventos de ligação de partícula são claramente vistas como modificações tipo degrau no comprimento de onda de ressonância do microtoroid ao longo do tempo (Figura 2A). As alturas destas etapas são mostradas como um histograma na Figura 2B. As Figuras 2-4 mostram traços representativos da ligação de exossomos (nanovesulas), esferas de sílica 5 nm e individuais humanos interleucina-2 moléculas, respectivamente. O facto de que os eventos da et...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Label-free Single Molecule Detection Using Microtoroid Optical Resonators at JoVE.com

Label-free Single Molecule Detection Using Microtoroid Optical Resonators

We have developed a label-free biosensing system based on optical resonator technology known as Frequency Locking Optical Whispering Evanescent Resonator (FLOWER) that is capable of detecting single molecules in solution. Here the procedures behind this work are described and presented.

Único Detecção de Moléculas livre-Label Usando Microtoroid ópticos Resonators

Detecting small concentrations of molecules down to the single molecule limit has impact on areas such as early detection of disease, and fundamental ...

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JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

9.1K visualizações.  California Institute of Technology. We have developed a label-free biosensing system based on optical resonator technology known as Frequency Locking Optical Whispering Evanescent Resonator (FLOWER) that is capable of detecting single molecules in solution. Here the procedures behind this work are described and presented. 

Vídeo: Label-free Single Molecule Detection Using Microtoroid Optical Resonators

Multiplexed Single-molecule Force Proteolysis Measurements Using Magnetic Tweezers

The generation and detection of mechanical forces is a ubiquitous aspect of cell physiology, with direct relevance to cancer metastasis1, atherogenesis2 and wound healing3. In each of these examples, cells both exert force on their surroundings and simultaneously enzymatically remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM). The effect of forces on ECM has thus become an area of considerable interest due to its likely biological and medical importance4-7.
	Single molecule techniques such as optical trapping8, atomic force microscopy9, and magnetic tweezers10,11 allow researchers to probe the function of enzymes at a molecular level by exerting forces on individual proteins. Of these techniques, magnetic tweezers (MT) are notable for their low cost and high throughput. MT exert forces in the range of ~1-100 pN and can provide millisecond temporal resolution, qualities that are well matched to the study of enzyme mechanism at the single-molecule level12. Here we report a highly parallelizable MT assay to study the effect of force on the proteolysis of single protein molecules. We present the specific example of the proteolysis of a trimeric collagen peptide by matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1); however, this assay can be easily adapted to study other substrates and proteases.

In this article we describe the use of magnetic tweezers to study the effect of force on enzymatic proteolysis at the single molecule level in a highly parallelizable manner.

Multiplexados molécula única Força Medidas proteólise, usando uma pinça magnética

The  generation and detection of mechanical forces is a ubiquitous aspect of cell physiology,  with direct relevance to cancer metastasis1, atherogenesis2 ...

Bioengenharia

A Cre-Lox P Recombination Approach for the Detection of Cell Fusion In Vivo

The ability of two or more cells of the same type to fuse has been utilized in metazoans throughout evolution to form many complex organs, including skeletal muscle, bone and placenta. Contemporary studies demonstrate fusion of cells of the same type confers enhanced function. For example, when the trophoblast cells of the placenta fuse to form the syncytiotrophoblast, the syncytiotrophoblast is better able to transport nutrients and hormones across the maternal-fetal barrier than unfused trophoblasts1-4. More recent studies demonstrate fusion of cells of different types can direct cell fate. The "reversion" or modification of cell fate by fusion was once thought to be limited to cell culture systems. But the advent of stem cell transplantation led to the discovery by us and others that stem cells can fuse with somatic cells in vivo and that fusion facilitates stem cell differentiation5-7. Thus, cell fusion is a regulated process capable of promoting cell survival and differentiation and thus could be of central importance for development, repair of tissues and even the pathogenesis of disease.
Limiting the study of cell fusion, is lack of appropriate technology to 1) accurately identify fusion products and to 2) track fusion products over time. Here we present a novel approach to address both limitations via induction of bioluminescence upon fusion (Figure 1); bioluminescence can be detected with high sensitivity in vivo8-15. We utilize a construct encoding the firefly luciferase (Photinus pyralis) gene placed adjacent to a stop codon flanked by LoxP sequences. When cells expressing this gene fuse with cells expressing the Cre recombinase protein, the LoxP sites are cleaved and the stop signal is excised allowing transcription of luciferase. Because the signal is inducible, the incidence of false-positive signals is very low. Unlike existing methods which utilize the Cre/LoxP system16, 17, we have incorporated a "living" detection signal and thereby afford for the first time the opportunity to track the kinetics of cell fusion in vivo.
To demonstrate the approach, mice ubiquitously expressing Cre recombinase served as recipients of stem cells transfected with a construct to express luciferase downstream of a floxed stop codon. Stem cells were transplanted via intramyocardial injection and after transplantation intravital image analysis was conducted to track the presence of fusion products in the heart and surrounding tissues over time. This approach could be adapted to analyze cell fusion in any tissue type at any stage of development, disease or adult tissue repair.

A Cre-Lox P Recombination Approach for the Detection of Cell Fusion In Vivo

A method to track cell fusion in living organisms over time is described. The approach utilizes Cre-LoxP recombination to induce luciferase expression upon cell fusion. The luminescent signal generated can be detected in living organisms using biophotonic imaging systems with a sensitivity of detection of &tilde;1,000 cells in peripheral tissues.

A Cre-Lox Abordagem Recombinação P para Detecção de fusão celular In Vivo</em

The ability of two or more cells of the same type to fuse has been utilized in metazoans throughout evolution to form many complex organs, including ...

Non-contact, Label-free Monitoring of Cells and Extracellular Matrix using Raman Spectroscopy

Non-destructive, non-contact and label-free technologies to monitor cell and tissue cultures are needed in the field of biomedical research.1-5 However, currently available routine methods require processing steps and alter sample integrity. Raman spectroscopy is a fast method that enables the measurement of biological samples without the need for further processing steps. This laser-based technology detects the inelastic scattering of monochromatic light.6 As every chemical vibration is assigned to a specific Raman band (wavenumber in cm-1), each biological sample features a typical spectral pattern due to their inherent biochemical composition.7-9 Within Raman spectra, the peak intensities correlate with the amount of the present molecular bonds.1 Similarities and differences of the spectral data sets can be detected by employing a multivariate analysis (e.g. principal component analysis (PCA)).10
Here, we perform Raman spectroscopy of living cells and native tissues. Cells are either seeded on glass bottom dishes or kept in suspension under normal cell culture conditions (37 &deg;C, 5% CO2) before measurement. Native tissues are dissected and stored in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at 4 &deg;C prior measurements. Depending on our experimental set up, we then either focused on the cell nucleus or extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as elastin and collagen. For all studies, a minimum of 30 cells or 30 random points of interest within the ECM are measured. Data processing steps included background subtraction and normalization.

Raman spectroscopy is a suitable technique for the non-contact, label-free analysis of living cells, tissue-engineered constructs and native tissues. Source-specific spectral fingerprints can be generated and analyzed using multivariate analysis.

Sem contato, Monitoramento Label livre de células e matriz extracelular utilizando Espectroscopia Raman

Non-destructive, non-contact and label-free technologies to monitor cell and tissue cultures are needed in the field of biomedical research.1-5 However, ...

Optical Detection of E. coli Bacteria by Mesoporous Silicon Biosensors

A label-free optical biosensor based on a nanostructured porous Si is designed for rapid capture and detection of Escherichia coli K12 bacteria, as a model microorganism. The biosensor relies on direct binding of the target bacteria cells onto its surface, while no pretreatment (e.g.&#160;by cell lysis) of the studied sample is required. A mesoporous Si thin film is used as the optical transducer element of the biosensor. Under white light illumination, the porous layer displays well-resolved Fabry-P&#233;rot fringe patterns in its reflectivity spectrum. Applying a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to reflectivity data results in a single peak. Changes in the intensity of the FFT peak are monitored. Thus, target bacteria capture onto the biosensor surface, through antibody-antigen interactions, induces measurable changes in the intensity of the FFT peaks, allowing for a &#39;real time&#39; observation of bacteria attachment.
The mesoporous Si film, fabricated by an electrochemical anodization process, is conjugated with monoclonal antibodies, specific to the target bacteria. The immobilization, immunoactivity and specificity of the antibodies are confirmed by fluorescent labeling experiments. Once the biosensor is exposed to the target bacteria, the cells are directly captured onto the antibody-modified porous Si surface. These specific capturing events result in intensity changes in the thin-film optical interference spectrum of the biosensor. We demonstrate that these biosensors can detect relatively low bacteria concentrations (detection limit of 104 cells/ml) in less than an hour.

Optical Detection of E. coli Bacteria by Mesoporous Silicon Biosensors

A label-free optical biosensor for rapid bacteria detection is introduced. The biosensor is based on a nanostructured porous Si, which is designed to directly capture the target bacteria cells onto its surface. We use monoclonal antibodies, immobilized onto the porous transducer, as the capture probes. Our studies demonstrate the applicability of these biosensors for the detection of low bacterial concentrations within minutes with no prior sample processing (such as cell lysis).

A detecção óptica de<em&gt; E. coli</em&gt; Bactérias por mesoporosos Silicon Biossensores

A label-free optical biosensor based on a nanostructured porous Si is designed for rapid capture and detection of Escherichia coli K12 bacteria, as a ...

Use of Label-free Optical Biosensors to Detect Modulation of Potassium Channels by G-protein Coupled Receptors

Ion channels control the electrical properties of neurons and other excitable cell types by selectively allowing ions to flow through the plasma membrane1. To regulate neuronal excitability, the biophysical properties of ion channels are modified by signaling proteins and molecules, which often bind to the channels themselves to form a heteromeric channel complex2,3. Traditional assays examining the interaction between channels and regulatory proteins require exogenous labels that can potentially alter the protein&#39;s behavior and decrease the physiological relevance of the target, while providing little information on the time course of interactions in living cells. Optical biosensors, such as the X-BODY Biosciences BIND Scanner system, use a novel label-free technology, resonance wavelength grating (RWG) optical biosensors, to detect changes in resonant reflected light near the biosensor. This assay allows the detection of the relative change in mass within the bottom portion of living cells adherent to the biosensor surface resulting from ligand induced changes in cell adhesion and spreading, toxicity, proliferation, and changes in protein-protein interactions near the plasma membrane. RWG optical biosensors have been used to detect changes in mass near the plasma membrane of cells following activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), receptor tyrosine kinases, and other cell surface receptors. Ligand-induced changes in ion channel-protein interactions can also be studied using this assay. In this paper, we will describe the experimental procedure used to detect the modulation of Slack-B sodium-activated potassium (KNa) channels by GPCRs.

Optical biosensor techniques can detect changes in mass near the plasma membrane in living cells and allow one to follow cellular responses in both individual cells and populations of cells. This protocol will describe detection of the modulation of potassium channels by G-protein coupled receptors in intact cells using this approach.

O uso de biossensores ópticos sem etiqueta para detectar modulação dos canais de potássio por G receptores acoplados à proteína

Ion channels control the electrical properties of neurons and other excitable cell types by selectively allowing ions to flow through the plasma ...

Nanomanipulation of Single RNA Molecules by Optical Tweezers

A large portion of the human genome is transcribed but not translated. In this post genomic era, regulatory functions of RNA have been shown to be increasingly important. As RNA function often depends on its ability to adopt alternative structures, it is difficult to predict RNA three-dimensional structures directly from sequence. Single-molecule approaches show potentials to solve the problem of RNA structural polymorphism by monitoring molecular structures one molecule at a time. This work presents a method to precisely manipulate the folding and structure of single RNA molecules using optical tweezers. First, methods to synthesize molecules suitable for single-molecule mechanical work are described. Next, various calibration procedures to ensure the proper operations of the optical tweezers are discussed. Next, various experiments are explained. To demonstrate the utility of the technique, results of mechanically unfolding RNA hairpins and a single RNA kissing complex are used as evidence. In these examples, the nanomanipulation technique was used to study folding of each structural domain, including secondary and tertiary, independently. Lastly, the limitations and future applications of the method are discussed.

Optical tweezers have been used to study RNA folding by stretching individual molecules from their 5&#8217; and 3&#8217; ends. Here common procedures are described to synthesize RNA molecules for tweezing, calibration of the instrument, and methods to manipulate single molecules.

NANOmanipulação de Solteiro RNA Moléculas por pinça óptica

A large portion of the human genome is transcribed but not translated. In this post genomic era, regulatory functions of RNA have been shown to be ...

A Microfluidic-based Electrochemical Biochip for Label-free DNA Hybridization Analysis

Miniaturization of analytical benchtop procedures into the micro-scale provides significant advantages in regards to reaction time, cost, and integration of pre-processing steps. Utilizing these devices towards the analysis of DNA hybridization events is important because it offers a technology for real time assessment of biomarkers at the point-of-care for various diseases. However, when the device footprint decreases the dominance of various physical phenomena increases. These phenomena influence the fabrication precision and operation reliability of the device. Therefore, there is a great need to accurately fabricate and operate these devices in a reproducible manner in order to improve the overall performance. Here, we describe the protocols and the methods used for the fabrication and the operation of a microfluidic-based electrochemical biochip for accurate analysis of DNA hybridization events. The biochip is composed of two parts: a microfluidic chip with three parallel micro-channels made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and a 3 x 3 arrayed electrochemical micro-chip. The DNA hybridization events are detected using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis. The EIS analysis enables monitoring variations of the properties of the electrochemical system that are dominant at these length scales. With the ability to monitor changes of both charge transfer and diffusional resistance with the biosensor, we demonstrate the selectivity to complementary ssDNA targets, a calculated detection limit of 3.8 nM, and a 13% cross-reactivity with other non-complementary ssDNA following 20 min&#160;of incubation. This methodology can improve the performance of miniaturized devices by elucidating on the behavior of diffusion at the micro-scale regime and by enabling the study of DNA hybridization events.

We present a microfluidic-based electrochemical biochip for DNA hybridization detection. Following ssDNA probe functionalization, the specificity, sensitivity, and detection limit are studied with complementary and non-complementary ssDNA targets. Results illustrate the influence of the DNA hybridization events on the electrochemical system, with a detection limit of 3.8 nM.

A Biochip eletroquímica microfluídica à base de Análise de hibridação DNA livre-Label

Miniaturization of analytical benchtop procedures into the micro-scale provides significant advantages in regards to reaction time, cost, and integration ...

A Label-free Technique for the Spatio-temporal Imaging of Single Cell Secretions

Inter-cellular communication is an integral part of a complex system that helps in maintaining basic cellular activities. As a result, the malfunctioning of such signaling can lead to many disorders. To understand cell-to-cell signaling, it is essential to study the spatial and temporal nature of the secreted molecules from the cell without disturbing the local environment. Various assays have been developed to study protein secretion, however, these methods are typically based on fluorescent probes which disrupt the relevant signaling pathways. To overcome this limitation, a label-free technique is required.
In this paper, we describe the fabrication and application of a label-free localized surface plasmon resonance imaging (LSPRi) technology capable of detecting protein secretions from a single cell. The plasmonic nanostructures are lithographically patterned onto a standard glass coverslip and can be excited using visible light on commercially available light microscopes. Only a small fraction of the coverslip is covered by the nanostructures and hence this technique is well suited for combining common techniques such as fluorescence and bright-field imaging.
A multidisciplinary approach is used in this protocol which incorporates sensor nanofabrication and subsequent biofunctionalization, binding kinetics characterization of ligand and analyte, the integration of the chip and live cells, and the analysis of the measured signal. As a whole, this technology enables a general label-free approach towards mapping cellular secretions and correlating them with the responses of nearby cells.

Inter-cellular communication is critical for controlling various physiological activities within and outside the cell. This paper describes a protocol for measuring the spatio-temporal nature of single cell secretions. To achieve this, a multidisciplinary approach is used which integrates label-free nanoplasmonic sensing with live cell imaging.

A técnica de livre-Label para a imagem espaço-temporal do Secreções única célula

Inter-cellular communication is an integral part of a complex system that helps in maintaining basic cellular activities. As a result, the malfunctioning ...

Single Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy on Planar Supported Bilayers

In the course of a single decade single molecule microscopy has changed from being a secluded domain shared merely by physicists with a strong background in optics and laser physics to a discipline that is now enjoying vivid attention by life-scientists of all venues 1. This is because single molecule imaging has the unique potential to reveal protein behavior in situ in living cells and uncover cellular organization with unprecedented resolution below the diffraction limit of visible light 2. Glass-supported planar lipid bilayers (SLBs) are a powerful tool to bring cells otherwise growing in suspension in close enough proximity to the glass slide so that they can be readily imaged in noise-reduced Total Internal Reflection illumination mode 3,4. They are very useful to study the protein dynamics in plasma membrane-associated events as diverse as cell-cell contact formation, endocytosis, exocytosis and immune recognition. Simple procedures are presented how to generate highly mobile protein-functionalized SLBs in a reproducible manner, how to determine protein mobility within and how to measure protein densities with the use of single molecule detection. It is shown how to construct a cost-efficient single molecule microscopy system with TIRF illumination capabilities and how to operate it in the experiment.

Preparation of protein-functionalized planar glass-supported lipid bilayers, determination of protein mobility within and measurement of protein densities is shown here. A roadmap to building a noise-reduced Total Internal Reflection microscope is outlined, which allows visualizing single bilayer-resident fluorochromes with high spatiotemporal resolution.

Bicamadas única molécula de microscopia de fluorescência em Planar Apoiado

In the course of a single decade single molecule microscopy has changed from being a secluded domain shared merely by physicists with a strong background ...

Multicolor Fluorescence Detection for Droplet Microfluidics Using Optical Fibers

Fluorescence assays are the most common readouts used in droplet microfluidics due to their bright signals and fast time response. Applications such as multiplex assays, enzyme evolution, and molecular biology enhanced cell sorting require the detection of two or more colors of fluorescence. Standard multicolor detection systems that couple free space lasers to epifluorescence microscopes are bulky, expensive, and difficult to maintain. In this paper, we describe a scheme to perform multicolor detection by exciting discrete regions of a microfluidic channel with lasers coupled to optical fibers. Emitted light is collected by an optical fiber coupled to a single photodetector. Because the excitation occurs at different spatial locations, the identity of emitted light can be encoded as a temporal shift, eliminating the need for more complicated light filtering schemes. The system has been used to detect droplet populations containing four unique combinations of dyes and to detect sub-nanomolar concentrations of fluorescein.

Multicolor fluorescence detection in droplet microfluidics typically involves bulky and complex epifluorescence microscope-based detection systems. Here we describe a compact and modular multicolor detection scheme that utilizes an array of optical fibers to temporally encode multicolor data collected by a single photodetector.

Multicolor detecção de fluorescência para Gota microfluídica Utilizando Fibras Ópticas

Fluorescence assays are the most common readouts used in droplet microfluidics due to their bright signals and fast time response. Applications such as ...