Quantum dots as biophotonics tools

This chapter provides a short review of quantum dots (QDs) physics, applications, and perspectives. The main advantage of QDs over bulk semiconductors is the fact that the size became a control parameter to tailor the optical properties of new materials. Size changes the confinement energy which alters the optical properties of the material, such as absorption, refractive index, and emission bands. Therefore, by using QDs one can make several kinds of optical devices. One of these devices transforms electrons into photons to apply them as active optical components in illumination and displays. Other devices enable the transformation of photons into electrons to produce QDs solar cells or photodetectors. At the biomedical interface, the application of QDs, which is the most important aspect in this book, is based on fluorescence, which essentially transforms photons into photons of different wavelengths. This chapter introduces important parameters for QDs' biophotonic applications such as photostability, excitation and emission profiles, and quantum efficiency. We also present the perspectives for the use of QDs in fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), so useful in modern microscopy, and how to take advantage of the usually unwanted blinking effect to perform super-resolution microscopy. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.This chapter provides a short review of quantum dots (QDs) physics, applications, and perspectives. The main advantage of QDs over bulk semiconductors is the fact that the size became a control parameter to tailor the optical properties of new materials. Size changes the confinement energy which alters the optical properties of the material, such as absorption, refractive index, and emission bands. Therefore, by using QDs one can make several kinds of optical devices. One of these devices transforms electrons into photons to apply them as active optical components in illumination and displays. Other devices enable the transformation of photons into electrons to produce QDs solar cells or photodetectors. At the biomedical interface, the application of QDs, which is the most important aspect in this book, is based on fluorescence, which essentially transforms photons into photons of different wavelengths. This chapter introduces important parameters for QDs' biophotonic applications such as photostability, excitation and emission profiles, and quantum efficiency. We also present the perspectives for the use of QDs in fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), so useful in modern microscopy, and how to take advantage of the usually unwanted blinking effect to perform super-resolution microscopy.119939Sem informaçãoSem informaçãoEkimov, A., Onushchenko, A., Quantum size effect in 3-dimensional microscopic semiconductor crystals (1981) JETP Lett, 34 (6), pp. 345-349Rossetti, R., Brus, L., Electron-hole recombination emission as a probe of surfacechemistry in aqueous CdS colloids (1982) J Phys Chem, 86 (23), pp. 4470-4472Reed, M.A., Randall, J.N., Aggarwal, R.J., Matyi, R.J., Moore, T.M., Wetsel, A.E., Observation of discrete electronic states in a zero-dimensional semiconductor nanostructure (1988) Phys Rev Lett, 60 (6), pp. 535-537Rogalski, A., Infrared detectors: Status and trends (2003) Progr Quant Electron, 27 (2-3), pp. 59-210Bruchez Jr., M., Morrone, M., Gin, P., Weiss, S., Alivisatos, A.P., Semiconductor nanocrystals as fl uorescent biological labels (1998) Science, 281, pp. 2013-2016Chan, W.C.W., Nie, S., Quantum dot bioconjugates for ultrasensitive nonisotopic detection (1998) Science, 281, pp. 2016-2018The many aspects of quantum dots (2010) Nat Nanotechnol, 5 (6), p. 381. , Nature Nanotechnology EditorialAnikeeva, P., Halpert, J., Bawendi, M., Bulovic, V., Quantum dot light-emitting deices with electroluminescence tunable over the entire visible spectrum (2009) Nano Lett, 9 (7), pp. 2532-2536Michalet, X., Pinaud, F.F., Bentolila, L.A., Tsay, J.M., Doose, S., Li, J.J., Sundaresan, G., Weiss, S., Quantum dots for live cells, in vivo imaging, and diagnostics (2005) Science, 307 (5709), pp. 538-544Cotter, D., High-contrast ultrafast phase conjugation in semiconductor-doped glass (1986) J Opt Soc Am B, 3 (8), p. 246Loss, D., Di Vincenzo, D., Quantum computation with quantum dots (1998) Phys Rev A, 57 (1), pp. 120-126Dabbousi, B.O., Rodriguez, V.J., Mikulec, F.V., Heine, J.R., Mattoussi, H., Ober, R., CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots: Synthesis and characterization of a size series of highly luminescent nanocrystallites (1997) J Phys Chem B, 101 (46), pp. 9463-9475Santos, B.S., Farias, P.M.A., Fontes, A., Semiconductor quantum dots for biological applications (2008) Handbook of Self Assembled Semiconductor Nanostructures Novel Devices in Photonics and Electronics, pp. 773-798. , Henine M (ed) Elsevier, AmsterdamGoldman, E.R., Anderson, G.P., Tran, P.T., Mattoussi, H., Charles, P.T., Mauro, J.M., Conjugation of luminescent quantum dots with antibodies using an engineered adaptor protein to provide new reagents for fl uoroimmunoassays (2002) Anal Chem, 74 (4), pp. 841-847Walling, M., Novak, J., Shepard, J.R.E., Quantum dots for live cell and in vivo imaging (2009) Int J Mol Sci, 10 (2), pp. 441-491Jamieson, T., Bakhshi, R., Petrova, D., Pocock, R., Imani, M., Seifalian, A.M., Biological applications of quantum dots (2007) Biomaterials, 28 (31), pp. 4717-4732Wu, X., Liu, H., Liu, J., Haley, K.N., Treadway, J.A., Larson, J.P., Ge, N., Bruchez, M.P., Immunofl uorescent labeling of cancer marker Her2 and other cellular targets with semiconductor quantum dots (2003) Nat Biotechnol, 21 (1), pp. 41-46Becker, W., (2005) Advanced Time-correlated Single Photon Counting Techniques, 81. , Springer series in chemical physics. 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Large Expression in Different Types of Muscular Dystrophies other than Dystroglycanopathy

Background Alpha-dystroglycan (αDG) is an extracellular peripheral glycoprotein that acts as a receptor for both extracellular matrix proteins containing laminin globular domains and certain arenaviruses. An important enzyme, known as Like-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (LARGE), has been shown to transfer repeating units of -glucuronic acid-β1,3-xylose-α1,3- (matriglycan) to αDG that is required for functional receptor as an extracellular matrix protein scaffold. The reduction in the amount of LARGE-dependent matriglycan result in heterogeneous forms of dystroglycanopathy that is associated with hypoglycosylation of αDG and a consequent lack of ligand-binding activity. Our aim was to investigate whether LARGE expression showed correlation with glycosylation of αDG and histopathological parameters in different types of muscular dystrophies, except for dystroglycanopathies. Methods The expression level of LARGE and glycosylation status of αDG were examined in skeletal muscle biopsies from 26 patients with various forms of muscular dystrophy [Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), sarcoglycanopathy, dysferlinopathy, calpainopathy, and merosin and collagen VI deficient congenital muscular dystrophies (CMDs)] and correlation of results with different histopathological features was investigated. Results Despite the fact that these diseases are not caused by defects of glycosyltransferases, decreased expression of LARGE was detected in many patient samples, partly correlating with the type of muscular dystrophy. Although immunolabelling of fully glycosylated αDG with VIA4–1 was reduced in dystrophinopathy patients, no significant relationship between reduction of LARGE expression and αDG hypoglycosylation was detected. Also, Merosin deficient CMD patients showed normal immunostaining with αDG despite severe reduction of LARGE expression. Conclusions Our data shows that it is not always possible to correlate LARGE expression and αDG glycosylation in different types of muscular dystrophies and suggests that there might be differences in αDG processing by LARGE which could be regulated under different pathological conditions.PubMedWoSScopu