Ordered immobilization of serine proteases enabled by a linchpin directed modification platform

We report a chemoselective and site-selective precision engineering of lysine in proteases. The mild and physiological reaction conditions keep their auto-degradation under control. Furthermore, it enables single-site ordered immobilization, enhancing protein digestion and peptide mapping efficiency.

Surface Functionalization and Texturing of Optical Metasurfaces for Sensing Applications

Optical metasurfaces are planar metamaterials that can mediate highly precise light-matter interactions. Because of their unique optical properties, both plasmonic and dielectric metasurfaces have found common use in sensing applications, enabling label-free, nondestructive, and miniaturized sensors with ultralow limits of detection. However, because bare metasurfaces inherently lack target specificity, their applications have driven the development of surface modification techniques that provide selectivity. Both chemical functionalization and physical texturing methodologies can modify and enhance metasurface properties by selectively capturing analytes at the surface and altering the transduction of light-matter interactions into optical signals. This review summarizes recent advances in material-specific surface functionalization and texturing as applied to representative optical metasurfaces. We also present an overview of the underlying chemistry driving functionalization and texturing processes, including detailed directions for their broad implementation. Overall, this review provides a concise and centralized guide for the modification of metasurfaces with a focus toward sensing applications.

Polymeric Nanoparticles Decorated with Monoclonal Antibodies: A New Immobilization Strategy for Increasing Lipase Activity

Recent advances in nanotechnology techniques enable the production of polymeric nanoparticles with specific morphologies and dimensions and, by tailoring their surfaces, one can manipulate their characteristics to suit specific applications. In this work we report an innovative approach for the immobilization of a commercial lipase from Candida rugosa (CRL) which employs nanostructured polymeric carriers conjugated with anti-lipase monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs). MoAbs were chemically conjugated on the surface of polymeric nanoparticles and used to selectively adsorb CRL molecules. Hydrolytic enzymatic assays evidenced that such immobilization technique afforded a significant enhancement of enzymatic activity in comparison to the free enzyme.

Chemical strategies for generating protein biochips

Protein biochips are at the heart of many medical and bioanalytical applications. Increasing interest has been focused on surface activation and subsequent functionalization strategies for immobilizing these biomolecules. Different approaches using covalent and noncovalent chemistry are reviewed; particular emphasis is placed on the chemical specificity of protein attachment and on retention of protein function. Strategies for creating protein patterns (as opposed to protein arrays) are also outlined. An outlook on promising and challenging future directions for protein biochip research and applications is also offered.