Name: engineering molecular recognition with bio-mimetic polymers on single walled carbon nanotubes
Uploaded: 2017-01-10T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Engineering Molecular Recognition with Bio-mimetic Polymers on Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes at JoVE.com

This work was supported by Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface (CASI), a Simons Foundation grant, and a Brain and Behavior Research foundation young investigator grant.

Caution: Please consult all relevant material safety data sheets (SDS) before use. Nanomaterials may have additional hazards compared to their bulk material counterpart. Use all appropriate safety practices including engineering controls (fume hood, noise enclosure) and personal protective equipment (safety glasses, goggles, lab coat, full length pants, closed-toe shoes).
1. Preparation of Buffer, Surfactant, and Polymer Solutions
<ol>
	<li>Preparation of 100 mM NaCl solution</strong...

<ol>
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C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Individually+Suspended+Single-Walled+Carbon+Nanotubes+in+Various+Surfactants.">Individually Suspended Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Various Surfactants.</a> Nano Letters. 3 (10), 1379-1382 (2003).</li><li>Tu, X., Zheng, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+DNA-based+approach+to+the+carbon+nanotube+sorting+problem.">A DNA-based approach to the carbon nanotube sorting problem.</a> Nano Research. 1 (3), 185-194 (2008).</li><li>Mangalum, A., Rahman, M., Norton, M. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Site-Specific+Immobilization+of+Single-Walled+Carbon+Nanotubes+onto+Single+and+One-Dimensional+DNA+Origami.">Site-Specific Immobilization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes onto Single and One-Dimensional DNA Origami.</a> J Am Chem Soc. 135 (7), 2451-2454 (2013).</li><li>Monopoli, M. P., &#197;berg, C., Salvati, A., Dawson, K. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Biomolecular+coronas+provide+the+biological+identity+of+nanosized+materials.">Biomolecular coronas provide the biological identity of nanosized materials.</a> Nature Nano. 7 (12), 779-786 (2012).</li><li>Jeng, E. S., Moll, A. E., Roy, A. C., Gastala, J. B., Strano, M. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Detection+of+DNA+Hybridization+Using+the+Near-Infrared+Band-Gap+Fluorescence+of+Single-Walled+Carbon+Nanotubes.">Detection of DNA Hybridization Using the Near-Infrared Band-Gap Fluorescence of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes.</a> Nano Letters. 6 (3), 371-375 (2006).</li><li>Yang, R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Carbon+Nanotube-Quenched+Fluorescent+Oligonucleotides:+Probes+that+Fluoresce+upon+Hybridization.">Carbon Nanotube-Quenched Fluorescent Oligonucleotides: Probes that Fluoresce upon Hybridization.</a> J Am Chem Soc. 130 (26), 8351-8358 (2008).</li><li>Yum, K., Ahn, J., McNicholas, T., Barone, P., Mu, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Boronic+acid+library+for+selective,+reversible+near-infrared+fluorescence+quenching+of+surfactant+suspended+single-walled+carbon+nanotubes+in+response+to+glucose.">Boronic acid library for selective, reversible near-infrared fluorescence quenching of surfactant suspended single-walled carbon nanotubes in response to glucose.</a> Acs Nano. 6 (1), 819-830 (2011).</li><li>Kim, J. H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+Luciferase/Single-Walled+Carbon+Nanotube+Conjugate+for+Near-Infrared+Fluorescent+Detection+of+Cellular+ATP.">A Luciferase/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Conjugate for Near-Infrared Fluorescent Detection of Cellular ATP.</a> Ange Chem Int Ed. 49 (8), 1456-1459 (2010).</li><li>Jin, H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Detection+of+single-molecule+H2O2+signalling+from+epidermal+growth+factor+receptor+using+fluorescent+single-walled+carbon+nanotubes.">Detection of single-molecule H2O2 signalling from epidermal growth factor receptor using fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotubes.</a> Nat Nano. 5 (4), 302-309 (2010).</li><li>Kim, J. 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K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Conjugated+Polymer-Assisted+Dispersion+of+Single-Wall+Carbon+Nanotubes:+The+Power+of+Polymer+Wrapping.">Conjugated Polymer-Assisted Dispersion of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes: The Power of Polymer Wrapping.</a> Acc Chem Res. 47 (8), 2446-2456 (2014).</li><li>Zou, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Dispersion+of+Pristine+Carbon+Nanotubes+Using+Conjugated+Block+Copolymers.">Dispersion of Pristine Carbon Nanotubes Using Conjugated Block Copolymers.</a> Adv Mat. 20 (11), 2055-2060 (2008).</li><li>Zheng, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Structure-Based+Carbon+Nanotube+Sorting+by+Sequence-Dependent+DNA+Assembly.">Structure-Based Carbon Nanotube Sorting by Sequence-Dependent DNA Assembly.</a> Science. 302 (5650), (2003).</li><li>Strano, M. S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Understanding+the+Nature+of+the+DNA-Assisted+Separation+of+Single-Walled+Carbon+Nanotubes+Using+Fluorescence+and+Raman+Spectroscopy.">Understanding the Nature of the DNA-Assisted Separation of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Fluorescence and Raman Spectroscopy.</a> Nano Lett. 4 (4), 543-550 (2004).</li><li>Bisker, G., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Protein-targeted+corona+phase+molecular+recognition.">Protein-targeted corona phase molecular recognition.</a> Nat Comm. 7, 10241 (2016).</li><li>Nelson, J. T., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mechanism+of+Immobilized+Protein+A+Binding+to+Immunoglobulin+G+on+Nanosensor+Array+Surfaces.">Mechanism of Immobilized Protein A Binding to Immunoglobulin G on Nanosensor Array Surfaces.</a> Anal Chem. 87 (16), 8186-8193 (2015).</li><li>Zhang, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Molecular+recognition+using+corona+phase+complexes+made+of+synthetic+polymers+adsorbed+on+carbon+nanotubes.">Molecular recognition using corona phase complexes made of synthetic polymers adsorbed on carbon nanotubes.</a> Nat nanotechnol. 8 (12), 959-968 (2013).</li><li>Kruss, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Neurotransmitter+detection+using+corona+phase+molecular+recognition+on+fluorescent+single-walled+carbon+nanotube+sensors.">Neurotransmitter detection using corona phase molecular recognition on fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotube sensors.</a> J Am Chem Soc. 136 (2), 713-724 (2014).</li><li>Salem, D. P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Chirality+dependent+corona+phase+molecular+recognition+of+DNA-wrapped+carbon+nanotubes.">Chirality dependent corona phase molecular recognition of DNA-wrapped carbon nanotubes.</a> Carbon. 97, 147-153 (2016).</li><li>Giraldo, J. 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SWNTs are readily suspended in aqueous solution via direct sonication with SDS or ssDNA, as indicated by an increase in optical density provided by the colloidal dispersion of the resulting SWNT-polymer hybrid. SDS and ssDNA disperses and solubilizes bundles of SWNTs by adsorbing onto the SWNT surface through hydrophobic or pi-pi interactions. Additionally, other polymers, such as genomic DNA, amphiphilic polymers, conjugated polymers and lipids, can be adsorbed onto the surface of SWNTs by dialysis of samples suspended ...

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are atomically thin layers of carbon atoms rolled into long, thin cylinders that exhibit unique electronic and optical properties.1 Such properties include a band-gap producing near infrared (nIR) fluorescence emission via exciton recombination that is highly sensitive to its local environment. The nIR emission of SWNTs falls within the near infrared window in which the penetration depth of light is maximal for biological tissue.2,3 Additionally, SWNTs exhibit several unique features atypical in contrast to organic fluorophores: SWNT exhibit a large Stokes shift, do not photobleach, and do not blink.4 Recently, exploiting these characteristics has led to the development of an assortment of novel molecular sensors with applications to biology.5,6 Unmodified, however, SWNTs are insoluble in water, and obtaining suspensions of individual SWNTs can be a challenge.7,8 Bundling and aggregation of SWNTs in solution can obfuscate their band-gap fluorescence,2 rendering them unsuitable for sensing applications.
Dispersing individual carbon nanotubes in aqueous solution requires modifying their surface to prevent hydrophobicity-driven aggregation.9 While covalent modification can render SWNTs water-soluble,10 as well as impart specific binding chemistry, defect sites in the SWNT lattice reduce or abate their fluorescence emission. Instead, SWNT functionalization can be accomplished by using surfactants, lipids, polymers and DNA9,11-13 that adsorb to the nanotube surface through hydrophobic and pi-pi stacking interactions. The resulting chemical environment surrounding surface-functionalized SWNTs is referred to as its corona phase. Perturbations to the corona phase can have a large impact on excitons traveling on the nanotube surface, causing modulations to SWNT fluorescence emission. It is this sensitive relationship between the corona phase and SWNT fluorescence that can be exploited to develop new molecular sensors by incorporating specific binding modalities onto the large surface area of SWNT. Perturbations to the SWNT corona phase upon binding analyte can lead to changes in the local dielectric environment, charge transfer, or introduce lattice defects, all of which can modulate the fluorescence emission of the SWNTs to serve as a signal transduction mechanism.14 This approach is used in the development of novel fluorescent sensors for the detection of many different classes of molecules including DNA,15,16 glucose17 and small molecules such as ATP,18 reactive oxygen species19 and nitric oxide.20,21 However, these approaches are limited in that they rely on the existence of a known binding modality for the target analyte.
Recently, a more generic approach to designing fluorescent sensors was developed using SWNTs non-covalently functionalized with amphiphilic heteropolymers, phospholipids, and polynucleic acids. These molecules adsorb to carbon nanotube surfaces to produce highly stable suspensions of individual SWNTs22-25 with unique corona phases that can specifically bind proteins26,27 or small molecules including the neurotransmitter dopamine.28-30 Engineering the corona phase to disperse SWNTs and specifically bind target analytes is referred to as corona phase molecular recognition (CoPhMoRe).28 The small size, low toxicity, high stability and unbleaching nIR fluorescence of CoPhMoRe SWNT sensors make them excellent candidates for in vivo sensing for extended time-resolved measurements.6 Recent work has shown their applications in plant tissues for optical detection of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species.31 A particularly exciting application for CoPhMoRe SWNT sensors is the potential for label free detection of neurotransmitters such as dopamine in vivo, where other techniques, such as electrochemical sensing or immunohistochemistry, suffer from a lack of spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and specificity.
Designing and discovering CoPhMoRe SWNT sensors has so far been restrained by the size and chemical diversity of the dispersant library, limiting the likelihood of finding a sensor for a particular target. To date, researchers have only scratched the surface of available conjugated, co-block, biological and biomimetic polymers that could serve as functionally active dispersants for SWNT sensors. Here, we present different methods for both dispersing SWNTs and characterizing their fluorescence for high throughput screening and for single SWNT sensor analysis. Specifically, we outline the procedure for coating SWNTs with polynucleic acid oligomers using direct sonication as well as how to functionalize SWNT with amphiphilic polymers through surfactant exchange by dialysis. We use (GT)15-DNA and polyethylene glycol functionalized with rhodamine isothiocyanate (RITC-PEG-RITC) as examples. We demonstrate the use of (GT)15-DNA SWNTs as a CoPhMoRe sensor for the detection of dopamine. Lastly, we outline procedures for performing single molecule sensor measurements, which can be used for characterization or single molecule sensing.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>sodium chloride</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>S271-1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>sodium dodecyl sulfate</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>L6026</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>sodium cholate hydrate</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>C6445</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>tris base (Trizma base)</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>93362</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>hydrochloric acid</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A144-212</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Amine-PEG-amine,NH2-PEG-NH2</td>
			<td>Nanocs Inc</td>
			<td>PG2-AM-5k</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>rhodamine B isothiocyanate</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>283924</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>fluorescein isothiocyanate</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>F7250</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>dichloromethane</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>676853</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>dimethylformamide</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>D4551</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>N,N-diisopropylethylamine&#160;</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>D125806</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>diethyl ether</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>673811</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride&#160;</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>C4706&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5&#8217;-thiol-modified DNA&#160;</td>
			<td>Integrated DNA Technologies</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>methoxypolyethylene glycol maleimide</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>63187</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>100k Da spin filters</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HiPCO Super purified single walled carbon nanotubes</td>
			<td>Integris</td>
			<td>HiPco SuperPurified</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>phosphate buffered saline</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>P5493</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti static gun</td>
			<td>Milty</td>
			<td>Milty Zerostat 3</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>centrifuge</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>5415 D</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ultra sonicator</td>
			<td>Cole Parmer</td>
			<td>CV18</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>dialysis cassettes</td>
			<td>Thermo scientific</td>
			<td>Slide-A-Lyzer G2 87722</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>BSA-biotin</td>
			<td>Thermo scientific</td>
			<td>29130</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Neutravidin protein</td>
			<td>Thermo scientific</td>
			<td>31000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>(3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES)</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>440140</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>inverted microscope</td>
			<td>Zeiss</td>
			<td>Axio Observer.Z1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>kinematic mirrors</td>
			<td>ThorLabs</td>
			<td>KM200-E03</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>periscope</td>
			<td>ThorLabs</td>
			<td>RS99</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>immersion oil</td>
			<td>Zeiss</td>
			<td>Immersol 518f</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>100X objective</td>
			<td>Zeiss</td>
			<td>Plan-apochromat 100X oil, 1.4NA, PH3, 420791-9911-000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>20X objective</td>
			<td>Zeiss</td>
			<td>N-Achroplan 0.45 NA, 420953-9901-000&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>cover glass</td>
			<td>Healthrow Scientific</td>
			<td>HS159879H</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>dopamine hydrochloride</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>H8502&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>infrared 2d array camera</td>
			<td>Princeton Instruments</td>
			<td>NIRvana</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>infrared 1d sensor array</td>
			<td>Princeton Instruments</td>
			<td>PyLoN IR</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>nIR spectrograph</td>
			<td>Princeton Instruments</td>
			<td>SCT-320</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>planoconvex lens</td>
			<td>ThorLabs</td>
			<td>LA1384</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>wellplates (glass bottom)</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>4580</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

engineering molecular recognition with bio-mimetic polymers on single walled carbon nanotubes

Semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are a class of optically active nanomaterial that fluoresce in the near infrared, coinciding with the optical window where biological samples are most transparent. Here, we outline techniques to adsorb amphiphilic polymers and polynucleic acids onto the surface of SWNTs to engineer their corona phases and create novel molecular sensors for small molecules and proteins. These functionalized SWNT sensors are both biocompatible and stable. Polymers are adsorbed onto the nanotube surface either by direct sonication of SWNTs and polymer or by suspending SWNTs using a surfactant followed by dialysis with polymer. The fluorescence emission, stability, and response of these sensors to target analytes are confirmed using absorbance and near-infrared fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, we demonstrate surface immobilization of the sensors onto glass slides to enable single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to characterize polymer adsorption and analyte binding kinetics.

SWNTs were suspended in aqueous solution using both surfactants and amphiphilic polymers by direct sonication and by dialysis exchange. Figure 1 shows SWNTs, grown using the iron carbonyl catalyzed method (HiPCO), suspended using SC, RITC-PEF20-RITC, and (GT)15-DNA. The optical density of a SWNTs with SDS (or polymer) increases dramatically after sonication and decreases upon removal of aggregates and contaminants through purification by centrifugation (<strong...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Engineering Molecular Recognition with Bio-mimetic Polymers on Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes at JoVE.com

Engineering Molecular Recognition with Bio-mimetic Polymers on Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes

We present a protocol for engineering the corona phase of near infrared fluorescent single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) using amphiphilic polymers and DNA to develop sensors for molecular targets without known recognition elements.

Semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are a class of optically active nanomaterial that fluoresce in the near infrared, coinciding with the ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

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