Kristina Brazhnik

Detection of carcinoembryonic antigen using single-domain or full-size antibodies stained with quantum dot conjugates.

Compact single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) are nearly 13 times smaller than full-size monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and have a number of advantages for biotechnological applications, such as small size, high specificity, solubility, stability, and great refolding capacity. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a tumor-associated glycoprotein expressed in a variety of cancers. Detection of CEA on the tumor cell surface may be carried out using anti-CEA antibodies and conventional fluorescent dyes. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are brighter and more photostable than organic dyes; they provide the possibility for labeling of different recognition molecules with QDs of different colors but excitable with the same wavelength of excitation. In this study, the abilities for specific detection of CEA expressed by tumor cells with anti-CEA sdAbs biotinylated in vitro and in vivo, as well as with anti-CEA mAbs biotinylated in vitro, were compared using flow cytometry and the conjugates of streptavidin with QDs (SA-QDs). The results demonstrated that either in vitro or in vivo biotinylated anti-CEA sdAbs are more sensitive for cell staining compared to biotinylated anti-CEA mAbs. The data also show that simultaneous use of biotinylated sdAbs with highly fluorescent SA-QDs can considerably improve the sensitivity of detection of CEA on tumor cell surfaces.

Design, Synthesis, and Use of MMP-2 Inhibitor-Conjugated Quantum Dots in Functional Biochemical Assays

The development of chemically designed matrix metalloprotease (MMP) inhibitors has advanced the understanding of the roles of MMPs in different diseases. Most MMP probes designed are fluorogenic substrates, often suffering from photo- and chemical instability and providing a fluorescence signal of moderate intensity, which is difficult to detect and analyze when dealing with crude biological samples. Here, an inhibitor that inhibits MMP-2 more selectively than Galardin has been synthesized and used for enzyme labeling and detection of the MMP-2 activity. A complete MMP-2 recognition complex consisting of a biotinylated MMP inhibitor tagged with the streptavidin-quantum dot (QD) conjugate has been prepared. This recognition complex, which is characterized by a narrow fluorescence emission spectrum, long fluorescence lifetime, and negligible photobleaching, has been demonstrated to specifically detect MMP-2 in in vitro sandwich-type biochemical assays with sensitivities orders of magnitude higher than those of the existing gold standards employing organic dyes. The approach developed can be used for specific in vitro visualization and testing of MMP-2 in cells and tissues with sensitivities significantly exceeding those of the best existing fluorogenic techniques.

Quantum-dot-based suspension microarray for multiplex detection of lung cancer markers: preclinical validation and comparison with the Luminex xMAP ® system

A novel suspension multiplex immunoassay for the simultaneous specific detection of lung cancer markers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) clinical samples based on fluorescent microspheres having different size and spectrally encoded with quantum dots (QDEM) was developed. The designed suspension immunoassay was validated for the quantitative detection of three lung cancer markers in BALF samples from 42 lung cancer patients and 10 control subjects. Tumor markers were detected through simultaneous formation of specific immune complexes consisting of a capture molecule, the target antigen, and biotinylated recognition molecule on the surface of the different QDEM in a mixture. The immune complexes were visualized by fluorescently labeled streptavidin and simultaneously analyzed using a flow cytometer. Preclinical validation of the immunoassay was performed and results were compared with those obtained using an alternative 3-plex immunoassay based on Luminex xMAP® technology, developed on classical organic fluorophores. The comparison showed that the QDEM and xMAP® assays yielded almost identical results, with clear discrimination between control and clinical samples. Thus, developed QDEM technology can become a good alternative to xMAP® assays permitting analysis of multiple protein biomarkers using conventional flow cytometers.

Development and potential applications of microarrays based on fluorescent nanocrystal-encoded beads for multiplexed cancer diagnostics

Advanced multiplexed assays have recently become an indispensable tool for clinical diagnostics. These techniques provide simultaneous quantitative determination of multiple biomolecules in a single sample quickly and accurately. The development of multiplex suspension arrays is currently of particular interest for clinical applications. Optical encoding of microparticles is the most available and easy-to-use technique. This technology uses fluorophores incorporated into microbeads to obtain individual optical codes. Fluorophore-encoded beads can be rapidly analyzed using classical flow cytometry or microfluidic techniques. We have developed a new generation of highly sensitive and specific diagnostic systems for detection of cancer antigens in human serum samples based on microbeads encoded with fluorescent quantum dots (QDs). The designed suspension microarray system was validated for quantitative detection of (1) free and total prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the serum of patients with prostate cancer and (2) carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) in the serum of patients with breast cancer. The serum samples from healthy donors were used as a control. The antigen detection is based on the formation of an immune complex of a specific capture antibody (Ab), a target antigen (Ag), and a detector Ab on the surface of the encoded particles. The capture Ab is bound to the polymer shell of microbeads via an adapter molecule, for example, protein A. Protein A binds a monoclonal Ab in a highly oriented manner due to specific interaction with the Fc-region of the Ab molecule. Each antigen can be recognized and detected due to a specific microbead population carrying the unique fluorescent code. 100 and 231 serum samples from patients with different stages of prostate cancer and breast cancer, respectively, and those from healthy donors were examined using the designed suspension system. The data were validated by comparing with the results of the “gold standard” enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). They have shown that our approach is a good alternative to the diagnostics of cancer markers using conventional assays, especially in early diagnostic applications.

Oriented Conjugation of Single-Domain Antibodies and Quantum Dots

Nanoparticle-based biodetection routinely employs monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for targeting. However, the large size of mAbs limits the number of ligands per nanoparticle and severely restricts the bioavailability and distribution of these probes in a sample. Furthermore, conventional conjugation techniques provide nanoprobes with irregular orientation of mAbs on the nanoparticle surface and often provoke mAb unfolding. Here, we describe a protocol for engineering a new generation of ultrasmall diagnostic nanoprobes through oriented conjugation of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) with 13 kDa single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) derived from llama immunoglobulin G (IgG). The sdAbs are conjugated with QDs in a highly oriented manner via an additional cysteine residue specifically integrated into the sdAb C-terminus. The resultant nanoprobes are <12 nm in diameter, ten times smaller in volume compared to the known alternatives. They have been proved highly efficient in flow cytometry and immunuhistochemical diagnostics. This approach can be easily extended to other semiconductor and plasmonic nanoparticles.

Photoinduced modification of quantum dot optical properties affects bacteriorhodopsin photocycle in a (quantum dot)- bacteriorhodopsin hybrid material

A method for controlled changes in the radiative properties of quantum dots (QDs) in order to modulate the Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) rate in nano-hybrid materials is proposed. The mechanism underlying the effect of QDs with optical properties modulated by UV laser irradiation on the photocycle of the photosensitive protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) in its native purple membranes (PM) isolated from Halobacterium salinarum has been studied. The irradiation leads to a twofold decrease in the QD fluorescence quantum yield without changes in the extinction spectrum or the position or shape of the fluorescence spectrum. The bR photocycle is accelerated, which has been shown to be related to the changes of the surface potential of PM upon formation of their complexes with QDs.

Advanced Procedure for Oriented Conjugation of Full-Size Antibodies with Quantum Dots

Ideal nanoparticle-based nanoprobes should contain on their surface homogeneously oriented highly active affinity molecules, e.g., antibodies (Abs), and should not exceed 15 nm in diameter. Direct conjugation of quantum dots (QDs) with Abs through cross-linking of QD amines with the sulfhydryl groups resulting from the reduction of the Ab disulfide bonds is a generally accepted technique. However, this procedure yields conjugates where Abs are oriented irregularly. This decreases the number of functionally active Abs on the nanoparticle surface, because some Ab recognition sites face inwards and cannot interact with the target moieties. Here, we describe an advanced procedure of Ab reduction, affinity purification, and QD-Ab conjugation with optimized critical steps. We have developed a method for partially reducing the Abs yielding highly functional 75 kDa heavy-light chain Ab fragments. Affinity purification of these Ab fragments followed by their tagging with QDs results in QD-Ab conjugates with largely improved functionality compared to those obtained according to the standard procedures. The new approach can be extended to conjugation of any type of Abs with different semiconductor, noble metal, or magnetic nanocrystals.