Lyndon L.E. Salins

Optical sensing systems based on biomolecular recognition of recombinant proteins

SIte-directed mutagenesis and the associated site-specific fluorescent labeling of proteins can be used to rationally design reagentless fluorescent molecular senors. The phosphate binding protein (PBP) and calmodulin (CaM) bind to phosphate and calcium in a highly specific manner. These ions induce a hinge motion in the proteins, and the resultant conformational change constitutes the basis of the sensor development. By labeling each protein at a specific site with environment-sensitive fluorescent probes, these conformational changes can be monitored and related to the amount of analyte ion present. In this study, the polymerase chain reaction was used to construct mutants of PBP and CaM that have a single cysteine at positions 197 and 109, respectively. Each protein was site-specifically labeled through the sulfhydryl group of the introduced cysteine residue at a single location with an environment-sensitive fluorescent probe. Characterization of the steady-state fluorescence indicated an enhancement of signal intensity upon binding of the analyte ion. Highly sensitive and selective and selective sensing systems for phosphate and calcium were obtained by using this approach.

Recombinant methods in protein and whole-cell biosensing

In this paper, we investigate the use of fluorescently- labeled binding proteins and genetically engineered bacterial cells for sensing of phosphate, glucose, and L- arabinose. To optimize the performance of the labeled binding proteins for biosensing purposes, a few key considerations were taken into account. A site-selective labeling protocol of the fluorescent reporter to the protein was used to ensure that the probe reported from a specific domain of the protein. The labeling sites chosen were hypothesized to undergo a physicochemical change when the biorecognition element binds the analyte. Cysteine mutations were introduced into the binding proteins by site-directed mutagenesis using the polymerase chain reaction. The residues selected were all in close proximity to the binding cleft, a region that is affected the most by the conformational change that accompanies ligand binding. The cysteine residues were then labeled with environment- sensitive fluorophores and changes in the fluorescence properties of the conjugates were monitored and related to the amount of ligand present. The application of microorganisms in sensing systems represent new advances in the development of novel analytical techniques for the detection of a target analyte. In these systems, a genetically engineered organism generates an analytically useful signal when it encounters a specific target substance due to selective recognition and binding properties towards that particular compound. This concept has been demonstrated using an optical bacteria-based sensing system capable of detecting the monosaccharide L-arabinose that employed the green fluorescent protein as a reporter protein.