Capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescent detection for highly sensitive assay of genetically modified organisms

Highly sensitive immunosensing platform for one-step detection of genetically modified crops

The wide cultivation of genetically modified (GM) insect-resistant crops has raised concerns on the risks to the eco-environment resulting from a release of Cry proteins. Therefore, it is vital to develop a method for the quantification of GM crops. Herein, A highly sensitive immunosensing platform has been developed for both colorimetric and chemiluminescent (CL) detection of Cry 1Ab using dual-functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as signal amplification nanoprobes for the first time. In this work, anti-Cry 1Ab monoclonal antibody and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) are simultaneously functionalized on the surface of AuNPs with an exceptionally simple synthesis method. Combined with immunomagnetic separation, this immunosensing platform based on colorimetric method could detect Cry 1Ab in one step in a linear range from 1.0 to 40 ng mL⁻¹ within 1.5 h, with a limit of detection of 0.50 ng mL⁻¹. The sensitivity of fabricated nanoprobes was 15.3 times higher than that using commercial HRP-conjugated antibody. Meanwhile, the fabricated nanoprobes coupled with CL detection was successfully applied for Cry 1Ab detection with a minimum detection concentration of 0.050 ng mL⁻¹ within a linear range of 0.10–20 ng mL⁻¹. The proposed approach was validated with genuine GM crops, and the results showed a good correlation coefficient of 0.9906 compared to those of a commercial ELISA kit. Compared with ELISA, the developed immunosensing platform significantly simplified the assay procedure and shortened the analytical time, thus providing a new platform for the detection of genetically modified crops with high sensitivity, rapidity and simplicity.

A portable electrochemical immunosensor for highly sensitive point-of-care testing of genetically modified crops

The wide cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops has raised concerns on the risks to humans and the environment. 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase isolated from Agrobacterium species strain CP4 (CP4-EPSPS) protein is most widely present in these crops. Therefore the measurement of CP4-EPSPS sensitively in a point-of-care testing (POCT) manner for the screening of transgenic plants is demanded. To date the development of quantitative POCT system has not yet been reported. In presented study, an electrochemical immunosensor towards CP4-EPSPS has been fabricated by integrating a portable bioanalytical device with a disposable screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) for POCT of GM crops. The dual-functionalized AuNPs were used as nanoprobes and prepared by simultaneously tagging horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and antibody on AuNPs with an exceptionally simple protocol. The sensitivity of the developed nanoprobe-based immunosensor was 62.5-fold higher than that using HRP-labeled antibody. As a result, the proposed immunosensor using SPCE could detect CP4-EPSPS down to 0.050 ng mL^-1 with the linear range of 0.10-10 ng mL^-1 within 65 min. In addition, the developed method has been validated with genuine GM crops and the results show a good correlation coefficient of 0.9909 compared with those of a commercial ELISA kit. Therefore, this portable electrochemical immunosensor is suitable for rapid and sensitive detection and provides a convenient and reliable platform for POCT assay.

The Ru complex and hollow gold nanoparticles branched-hydrogel as signal probe for construction of electrochemiluminescent aptasensor

In this work, a novel Ru complex and hollow gold nanoparticles branched-poly(N-(3-aminopropyl)methacrylamide) hydrogel composites (pNAMA-Ru-HGNPs) were prepared and used as electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) signal probe to construct aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin (TB). Herein, [Ru(phen)2(cpaphen)](2+) linked N-(3-aminopropyl)methacrylamide and hollow gold nanoparticles functionalized N-(3-aminopropyl)methacrylamide were used as two polymer monomers to prepare pNAMA-Ru-HGNPs composites via free-radical polymerization. The obtained hydrogel composite, containing amount of Ru complex and HGNPs, were used as effective tag-carriers for the immobilization of thrombin binding aptamer II (TBA II) to form the pNAMA-Ru-HGNPs labeled TBA II (pNAMA-Ru-HGNPs-TBA II). For building the interface of the aptasensor, dendritic gold nanoparticles reduced by poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI@DGNPs) were modified on the carbon nanotube-nafion (CNTs-Nf) coated electrode through electrostatic adsorption, which was used not only as matrix for immobilization of thrombin binding aptamer I (TBA I) but also as enhancer to amplify the ECL signal because PEI is an efficient co-reactant of Ru complex. Target TB was sandwiched between pNAMA-Ru-HGNPs-TBA II and TBA I, resulting in the ECL signals relevant to the TB concentrations. Combining the novel pNAMA-Ru-HGNPs containing amount of Ru complex as the ECL signal probe and PEI@DGNPs as the enhancer for signal amplification, the sandwich ECL aptasensor was constructed for the detection of TB with a wide range of 1.0 fM to 10 pM and a low detection of 0.54 fM.

Detection of GM soybean by multiplex-touchdown PCR-microchip capillary electrophoresis with response surface methodology optimization

The combination of the molecular technique, the multivariate strategy and microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) was applied to rapid and sensitive analysis of genetically modified (GM) soybean in food samples. A multiplex-touchdown polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system was developed for simultaneously amplifying three target sequences in Roundup Ready soybean (RRS). Response surface methodology was introduced to determine the optimal separation condition in MCE with good resolution and short analytical time. The detection of the PCR products of RRS was completed within 4 min under the optimal conditions. The specificity of the method was evaluated by testing non-GM soybean materials and three GM maize varieties (MON810, Bt176 and Bt11). A sensitivity of 0.1% GM organisms content was obtained, which was remarkably lower than the labeling threshold for transgenic food defined as 0.9% in the European regulation. The relative standard deviation of migration time was in the range of 0.17-0.95%. The proposed method was rapid, sensitive and specific and can be used to identify and detect GM soybean in food samples.

Surface enhanced electrochemiluminescence of Ru(bpy)3(2+)

Surface enhanced spectroscopy such as surface enhanced Raman spectrum (SERS) and surface enhanced fluorescence have been investigated extensively in the past two decades. Herein, we present experimental evidence to demonstrate the existence of a new surface enhanced spectroscopy, namely, surface enhanced electrochemiluminescence (SEECL). Our investigation indicates that the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) response of the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-tri-n-propylamine (TPrA) system could be significantly enhanced when the working electrode is modified with gold nanoparticle-SiO₂ core-shell nanocomposites (AuNP@SiO₂). It is worth noting that comparing with a working electrode modified with pure SiO₂ nanoparticles, the electrochemical responses of the two electrodes were quite similar, but the ECL signal of the AuNP@SiO₂ modified electrode was ~5 times higher than that of the SiO₂ nanoparticles modified electrode. Thus we infer that the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the AuNPs could be a major contribution to the ECL enhancement. Our investigations also demonstrate that the ECL enhancement is closely related to the thickness of the SiO₂ layer. As much as 10 times ECL enhancement (comparing with the ECL intensity of bare electrode) is observed under the optimal conditions. The possible mechanism of the SEECL phenomenon is also discussed.

Characterization and study of transgenic cultivars by capillary and microchip electrophoresis

Advances in biotechnology have increased the demand for suitable analytical techniques for the analysis of genetically modified organisms. Study of the substantial equivalence, discrimination between transgenic and non-transgenic cultivars, study of the unintended effects caused by a genetic modification or their response to diverse situations or stress conditions (e.g., environmental, climatic, infections) are some of the concerns that need to be addressed. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is emerging as an alternative to conventional techniques for the study and characterization of genetically modified organisms. This article reviews the most recent applications of CE for the analysis and characterization of transgenic cultivars in the last five years. Different strategies have been described depending on the level analyzed (DNA, proteins or metabolites). Capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) has shown to be particularly useful for the analysis of DNA fragments amplified by PCR. Metabolites and proteins have been mainly separated using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using UV and MS detection. Electrophoretic chips have also proven their ability in the analysis of transgenic cultivars and a section describing the new applications is also included.

Development of a general method for detection and quantification of the P35S promoter based on assessment of existing methods

The Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter (P35S) is a commonly used target for detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). There are currently 24 reported detection methods, targeting different regions of the P35S promoter. Initial assessment revealed that due to the absence of primer binding sites in the P35S sequence, 19 of the 24 reported methods failed to detect P35S in MON88913 cotton, and the other two methods could only be applied to certain GMOs. The rest three reported methods were not suitable for measurement of P35S in some testing events, because SNPs in binding sites of the primer/probe would result in abnormal amplification plots and poor linear regression parameters. In this study, we discovered a conserved region in the P35S sequence through sequencing of P35S promoters from multiple transgenic events, and developed new qualitative and quantitative detection systems targeting this conserved region. The qualitative PCR could detect the P35S promoter in 23 unique GMO events with high specificity and sensitivity. The quantitative method was suitable for measurement of P35S promoter, exhibiting good agreement between the amount of template and Ct values for each testing event. This study provides a general P35S screening method, with greater coverage than existing methods.

An ultrasensitive aptameric sensor for proteins based on hyperbranched rolling circle amplification

A novel fluorescent aptameric sensor for thrombin has been developed by combination of the high amplification efficiency of HRCA and the specific function of aptameric recognition.

MACRO: a combined microchip-PCR and microarray system for high-throughput monitoring of genetically modified organisms

The monitoring of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is a primary step of GMO regulation. However, there is presently a lack of effective and high-throughput methodologies for specifically and sensitively monitoring most of the commercialized GMOs. Herein, we developed a multiplex amplification on a chip with readout on an oligo microarray (MACRO) system specifically for convenient GMO monitoring. This system is composed of a microchip for multiplex amplification and an oligo microarray for the readout of multiple amplicons, containing a total of 91 targets (18 universal elements, 20 exogenous genes, 45 events, and 8 endogenous reference genes) that covers 97.1% of all GM events that have been commercialized up to 2012. We demonstrate that the specificity of MACRO is ~100%, with a limit of detection (LOD) that is suitable for real-world applications. Moreover, the results obtained of simulated complex samples and blind samples with MACRO were 100% consistent with expectations and the results of independently performed real-time PCRs, respectively. Thus, we believe MACRO is the first system that can be applied for effectively monitoring the majority of the commercialized GMOs in a single test.

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence of iridium-containing ROMP block copolymer and self-assembled micelles

The electrochemical properties and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of an Ir(ppy)2(bpy)(+)-containing ROMP monomer, block copolymer (containing Ir(ppy)2(bpy)(+) complexes, PEG chains, and butyl moieties), and self-assembled micelles were investigated. Following polymerization of the iridium complex, we observed multiple oxidation peaks for the block copolymer in cyclic voltammograms (CV) and differential pulse voltammograms (DPV), suggesting the presence of multiple environments for the iridium complexes along the polymer backbone. The ECL signals from monomer 1 and polymer 2 were reproducible over continuous CV cycles and stable over prolonged potential biases, demonstrating their robustness toward ECL-based detection. Comparison of the ECL signal of the block copolymer, containing multiple iridium complexes attached to the backbone, and the monomeric complex showed enhanced signals for the polymer. In fact, formation and reopening of the self-assembled micelles allowed recovery of the polymer and near complete retention of its original ECL intensity.

Disposable electrochemiluminescent biosensor using bidentate-chelated CdTe quantum dots as emitters for sensitive detection of glucose

A novel disposable solid-state electrochemiluminescent (ECL) biosensor was fabricated by immobilizing glucose oxidase and surface-unpassivated CdTe quantum dots (QDs) on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). The surface morphology of the biosensor was characterized with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. With dissolved O(2) as an endogenous coreactant, QDs/SPCE showed strong ECL emission in pH 9.0 HCl-Tris buffer solution with low ECL peak potential at -0.89 V. The ECL intensity was twice that with hydrogen peroxide as coreactant at the same concentration. This phenomenon meant the ECL decreased upon consumption of dissolved O(2) and thus could be applied to the construction of oxidase-based ECL biosensors. With glucose oxidase as a model enzyme, the biosensor showed rapid response to glucose with a linear range of 0.8 to 100 μM and a detection limit of 0.3 μM. Further detection of glucose contained in human serum samples showed acceptable sensitivity and selectivity. This work provided a promising application of QDs in ECL-based disposable biosensors.

Sensitive and isothermal electrochemiluminescence gene-sensing of Listeria monocytogenes with hyperbranching rolling circle amplification technology

Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is one of the most problematic human pathogens, as it is mainly transmitted through the food chain and cause listeriosis. Thus, specific and sensitive detection of L. monocytogenes is required to ensure food safety. In this study, we proposed a method using hyperbranching rolling circle amplification (HRCA) combined with magnetic beads based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) to offer an isothermal, highly sensitive and specific assay for the detection of L. monocytogenes. At first, a linear padlock probe was designed to target a specific sequence in the hly gene which is specific to L. monocytogenes and then ligated by Taq DNA ligase. After ligation and digestion, further amplification by HRCA with a biotiny labeled primer and a tris (bipyridine) ruthenium (TBR) labeled primer was performed. The resulting HRCA products were then captured onto streptavidin-coated paramagnetic beads and were analyzed by magnetic beads based ECL platform to confirm the presence of targets. Through this approach, as low as 10 aM synthetic hly gene targets and about 0.0002 ng/μl of genomic DNA from L. monocytogenes can be detected, the ability to detect at such ultratrace levels could be attributed to the powerful amplification of HRCA and the high sensitivity of current magnetic bead based ECL detection platform.