Modulating glycosidase degradation and lectin recognition of gold glyconanoparticles

5 páginas, 3 figuras, 1 tablaGlyconanoparticles (GNPs) are water-soluble carbohydrate-functionalized gold nanoclusters with a promising potential to serve as versatile tools in studies ranging from basic chemical glycobiology to clinical applications. In this paper we evaluate the influence of ligand density and presentation on the recognition by protein receptors by examining the interaction of lactose-functionalized GNPs with two different galactose-specific carbohydrate-binding proteins: an enzyme, Escherichia coli β-galactosidase, and a lectin, Viscum album agglutinin. The results suggest that the proper selection of ligand densities and spacers in GNP functionalization is an important requisite to match the topological requirements of the target receptor while escaping glycosidase degradation.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) (Grants BQU02-03734, BQU2003-03550-C03-03, and BFU2006-10288/BMC). A.G.B. thanks the CSIC for financial support. J. M. de la Fuente thanks the MEC for a fellowship. CIBER BBN and CIBERES are initiatives of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III.Peer reviewe