A Fluorescent Lectin Array Using Supramolecular Hydrogel for Simple Detection and Pattern Profiling for Various Glycoconjugates

Because sugar and its derivatives play important roles in various biological phenomena, the rapid and high-throughput analysis of various glycoconjugates is keenly desirable. We describe herein the construction of a novel fluorescent lectin array for saccharide detection using a supramolecular hydrogel matrix. In this array, the fluorescent lectins were noncovalently fixed under semi-wet conditions to suppress the protein denaturation. It is demonstrated by fluorescence titration and fluorescence lifetime experiments that the immobilized lectins act as a molecular recognition scaffold in the hydrogel matrix, similar to that in aqueous solution. That is, a bimolecular fluorescence quenching and recovery (BFQR) method can successfully operate under both conditions. This enables one to fluorescently read-out a series of saccharides on the basis of the recognition selectivity and affinity of the immobilized lectins without tedious washing processes and without labeling the target saccharides. Simple and high-throughput sensing and profiling were carried out using the present lectin array for diverse glycoconjugates, which not only included a simple glucose, but also oligosaccharides, and glycoproteins, and, furthermore, the pattern recognition and profiling of several types of cell lysates were also accomplished

Coupling a Natural Receptor Protein with an Artificial Receptor to Afford a Semisynthetic Fluorescent Biosensor

An artificial receptor and a signal transducer have been engineered on a lectin (saccharide-binding protein) surface by a post-photoaffinity labeling modification method. Saccharide binding can be directly and selectively read out by the fluorescence changes of the fluorophore via photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mode. Fluorescence titration with various saccharides reveals that molecular recognition by the artificial receptor is successfully coupled to the native binding site of the lectin, producing a novel fluorescent saccharide biosensor showing modulated specificity and enhanced affinity. Designed cooperativity between artificial and native molecular recognition modules was quantitatively demonstrated by the comparison of the binding affinities, and it represents a new strategy in molecular recognition. By using appropriate artificial receptors and various native lectins, this approach may provide many new semisynthetic biosensors for saccharide derivatives such as glycolipids and glycopeptides/proteins. An extended library of lectin-based biosensors is envisioned to be useful for glycome research, a newly emerging field of the post-genomic era

Spatially Organized Enzymes Drive Cofactor-Coupled Cascade Reactions

We report the construction of an artificial enzyme cascade based on the xylose metabolic pathway. Two enzymes, xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase, were assembled at specific locations on DNA origami by using DNA-binding protein adaptors with systematic variations in the interenzyme distances and defined numbers of enzyme molecules. The reaction system, which localized the two enzymes in close proximity to facilitate transport of reaction intermediates, resulted in significantly higher yields of the conversion of xylose into xylulose through the intermediate xylitol with recycling of the cofactor NADH. Analysis of the initial reaction rate, regenerated amount of NADH, and simulation of the intermediates’ diffusion indicated that the intermediates diffused to the second enzyme by Brownian motion. The efficiency of the cascade reaction with the bimolecular transport of xylitol and NAD⁺ likely depends more on the interenzyme distance than that of the cascade reaction with unimolecular transport between two enzymes

Design of a Hybrid Biosensor for Enhanced Phosphopeptide Recognition Based on a Phosphoprotein Binding Domain Coupled with a Fluorescent Chemosensor

Protein-based fluorescent biosensors with sufficient sensing specificity are useful analytical tools for detection of biologically important substances in complicated biological systems. Here, we present the design of a hybrid biosensor, specific for a bis-phosphorylated peptide, based on a natural phosphoprotein binding domain coupled with an artificial fluorescent chemosensor. The hybrid biosensor consists of a phosphoprotein binding domain, the WW domain, into which has been introduced a fluorescent stilbazole having Zn(II)−dipicolylamine (Dpa) as a phosphate binding motif. It showed strong binding affinity and high sensing selectivity toward a specific bis-phosphorylated peptide in the presence of various phosphate species such as the monophosphorylated peptide, ATP, and others. Detailed fluorescence titration experiments clearly indicate that the binding-induced fluorescence enhancement and the sensing selectivity were achieved by the cooperative action of both binding sites of the hybrid biosensor, i.e., the WW domain and the Zn(II)−Dpa chemosensor unit. Thus, it is clear that the tethered Zn(II)−Dpa-stilbazole unit operated not only as a fluorescence signal transducer, but also as a sub-binding site in the hybrid biosensor. Taking advantage of its selective sensing property, the hybrid biosensor was successfully applied to real-time and label-free fluorescence monitoring of a protein kinase-catalyzed phosphorylation

Double-Modification of Lectin Using Two Distinct Chemistries for Fluorescent Ratiometric Sensing and Imaging Saccharides in Test Tube or in Cell

The site-selective incorporation of two different fluorophores into a naturally occurring protein (lectin, a sugar-binding protein) has been successfully carried out using two distinct orthogonal chemical methods. By post-photoaffinity labeling modification, Con A, a glucose- and mannose-selective lectin, was modified with fluorescein in the proximity of the sugar binding site (Tyr100 site), and the controlled acylation reaction provided the site-selective attachment of coumarin at Lys114. In this doubly modified Con A, the fluorescein emission changed upon the binding to the corresponding sugars, such as the glucose or mannose derivatives, whereas the coumarin emission was constant. Thus, the doubly modified Con A fluorescently sensed the glucose- and mannose-rich saccharides in a ratiometric manner while retaining the natural binding selectivity and affinity, regardless of the double modification. On the benefit of the ratiometric fluorescent analysis using two distinct probes, the sugar trimming process of a glycoprotein can be precisely monitored by the engineered Con A. Furthermore, the doubly modified Con A can be used not only for the convenient fluorescent imaging of saccharides localized on a cell surface, such as the MCF-7, a breast cancer cell having rich high-mannose branch, but also for the ratiometric fluorescent sensing of the glucose concentration inside HepG2 cells. These results demonstrated that the semisynthetic lectin modified doubly by two distinct chemistries is superior to the singly modified one in function, and thus, it may be potentially useful in cell, as well as in test tube

Latent pH-responsive ratiometric fluorescent cluster based on self-assembled photoactivated SNARF derivatives

We have developed a self-assembled fluorescent cluster comprising a seminaphthorhodafluor (SNARF) derivative protected by a photoremovable o-nitrobenzyl group. Prior to UV irradiation, a colorless and nonfluorescent cluster was spontaneously assembled in aqueous solution. After UV irradiation, the self-assembled cluster remained intact and showed a large enhancement in pH-responsive fluorescence. The unique pH responsive fluorescent cluster could be used as a dual-emissive ratiometric fluorescent pH probe not only in the test tube but also in HeLa cell cultures.</p

One-Pot and Sequential Organic Chemistry on an Enzyme Surface to Tether a Fluorescent Probe at the Proximity of the Active Site with Restoring Enzyme Activity

A new and simple method to tether a functional molecule at the proximity of the active site of an enzyme has been successfully developed without any activity loss. The one-pot sequential reaction was conducted on a surface of human carbonic anhydrase II (hCAII) based on the affinity labeling and the subsequent hydrazone/oxime exchange reaction. The reaction proceeds in a greater than 90% yield in the overall steps under mild conditions. The enzymatic activity assay demonstrated that the release of the affinity ligand from the active site of hCAII concurrently occurred with the replacement by the aminooxy derivatives, so that it restored the enzymatic activity from the completely suppressed state of the labeled hCAII. Such restoring of the activity upon the sequential modification is quite unique compared to conventional affinity labeling methods. The peptide mapping experiment revealed that the labeling reaction was selectively directed to His-3 or His-4, located on a protein surface proximal to the active site. When the fluorescent probe was tethered using the present sequential chemistry, the engineered hCAII can act as a fluorescent biosensor toward the hCAII inhibitors. This clearly indicates the two advantages of this method, that is (i) the modification is directed to the proximity of the active site and (ii) the sequential reaction re-opens the active site cavity of the target enzyme

Selective Cross-Linking of Interacting Proteins Using Self-Labeling Tags

We have designed molecules that permit the selective cross-linking (S-CROSS) of interacting proteins in cell lysates and the sensitive detection of the trapped complexes through in-gel fluorescence scanning. S-CROSS requires the expression of the putative interacting proteins as fusion to CLIP-tag or SNAP-tag, two protein tags that can be specifically labeled with synthetic probes. Bifunctional molecules that contain the substrates of the two tags connected via a fluorophore are used to selectively cross-link interacting proteins in cell lysate. The amount of trapped complex can be then quantified after SDS gel electrophoresis by in-gel fluorescence scanning. On the basis of a detailed kinetic analysis of the cross-linking reaction, we showed that the cross-linking efficiency can be used as an indicator of interaction between two proteins, allowing thereby the unambiguous identification of interacting protein pairs. We validated our approach by confirming a number of interactions through selective cross-linking and showed that it permits the quantitative and simultaneous analysis of multiple homotypic and heterotypic protein complexes and the differentiation between strong and weak protein−protein interactions

Postoperative complications (n = 35).

Postoperative complications (n = 35).</p

Creation of a space around the posterior wall of the duodenal bulb.

A sufficient space for stapler insertion around the posterior wall of the duodenal bulb is created by dissecting the superior duodenal vessels (red line: diameter of the duodenal bulb, white line: length of the duodenal bulb).</p