Lorenzo Berti

Functionalizing Nanoparticles with Biological Molecules: Developing Chemistries that Facilitate Nanotechnology

Chemistries that Facilitate Nanotechnology Kim E. Sapsford,† W. Russ Algar, Lorenzo Berti, Kelly Boeneman Gemmill,‡ Brendan J. Casey,† Eunkeu Oh, Michael H. Stewart, and Igor L. Medintz*,‡ †Division of Biology, Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland 20993, United States ‡Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering Code 6900 and Division of Optical Sciences Code 5611, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States College of Science, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, United States Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California 95817, United States Sotera Defense Solutions, Crofton, Maryland 21114, United States

Nucleic acid and nucleotide-mediated synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles

Since the advent of practical methods for achieving DNA metallization, the use of nucleic acids as templates for the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) has become an active area of study. It is now widely recognized that nucleic acids have the ability to control the growth and morphology of inorganic NPs. These biopolymers are particularly appealing as templating agents as their ease of synthesis in conjunction with the possibility of screening nucleotide composition, sequence and length, provides the means to modulate the physico-chemical properties of the resulting NPs. Several synthetic procedures leading to NPs with interesting photophysical properties as well as studies aimed at rationalizing the mechanism of nucleic acid-templated NP synthesis are now being reported. This progress article will outline the current understanding of the nucleic acid-templated process and provides an up to date reference in this nascent field.

High-performance genetic analysis using microfabricated capillary array electrophoresis microplates

This review focuses on some recent advances in realizing microfabricated capillary array electrophoresis (νCAE). In particular, the development of a novel rotary scanning confocal fluorescence detector has facilitated the high‐speed collection of sequencing and genotyping data from radially formatted νCAE devices. The concomitant development of a convenient energy‐transfer cassette labeling chemistry allows sensitive multicolor labeling of any DNA genotyping or sequencing analyte. High‐performance hereditary haemochromatosis and short tandem repeat genotyping assays are demonstrated on these devices along with rapid mitochondrial DNA sequence polymorphism analysis. Progress in supporting technology such as robotic fluid dispensing and batched data analysis is also presented. The ultimate goal is to develop a parallel analysis platform capable of integrated sample preparation and automated electrophoretic analysis with a throughput 10–100 times that of current technology.

A one-pot functionalization strategy for immobilizing proteins onto linear dsDNA scaffolds

Functional DNA scaffolds can be defined as DNA-based structures comprising chemical moieties facilitating and guiding the immobilization of additional nanocomponents. Due to the limited reactivity of DNA there is currently a need to develop rapid routes to expand its chemical repertoire and increase its versatility as a nanostructuring scaffold. We report a simple synthetic strategy for generating linear and stable double-stranded DNA scaffolds functionalized with multiple sites reactive towards free thiols, and the utility of this approach is demonstrated by immobilizing a model protein containing an accessible free thiol. This procedure is very versatile and could be easily expanded to other types of chemistries. This approach could also potentially be employed for the specific, oriented immobilization of various biomolecules and nanoparticles on predefined DNA architectures.

Quantum dot-DNA bioconjugates for fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based biosensing

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have unique photophysical properties which make them excellent fluorescence resonance energy transfer donors. However, lack of facile methods for conjugating biomolecules such as DNA, proteins and peptides to QDs have limited their applications. In this report, we describe a general procedure for the preparation of a synthetic peptide that can be covalently attached to DNA segments and used to facilitate the self-assembly of the modified DNA onto water soluble QDs. To characterize this conjugation strategy, dye-labeled DNA is first reacted with the synthetic peptide and the resulting peptide-DNA then self-assembled onto QDs. QD attachment is verified by monitoring resonance energy transfer efficiency from the QD donor to the dye-labeled DNA acceptor. QD-DNA bioconjugates assembled using this method may find applications as molecular beacons and hybridization probes.