Fluorescent Biotin Analogues for Microstructure Patterning and Selective Protein Immobilization

Visualization of third-level information in latent fingerprints by a new fluorogenic L-tyrosine analogue

Incorporation of fluorescent α-amino acids in peptide/protein sequences, at desired positions, is eminently useful for non-invasive detection of cellular events, without impacting their native properties. As an extension to such an approach, we describe the design of two stable, fluorescent l-tyrosine analogs, FHBY and BHBY, exhibiting photophysical properties associated with the AIE-coupled ESIPT mechanism, for fluorescent reporting of latent fingerprints. Notably, FHBY selectively adheres to the papillary ridges of latent fingerprints and reveals up to the third-level of information at one of the lowest reported concentrations of 25 μM.

A versatile platform for surface modification of microfluidic droplets

To advance emulsion droplet technology, we synthesize functional derivatives of Pluronic F127 that can simultaneously act as surfactants and as reactive sites for droplet surface decoration. The amine-, carboxyl-, N-hydroxysuccinimide ester-, maleimide- and biotin-terminated Pluronic F127 allows ligand immobilization on single-emulsion or double-emulsion droplets via electrostatic adsorption, covalent conjugation or site-specific avidin-biotin interaction.