Single-Molecule Sandwich Aptasensing on Nanoarrays by Tethered Particle Motion Analysis.

High-throughput single-molecule techniques are expected to challenge the demand for rapid, simple, and sensitive detection methods in health and environmental fields. Based on a single-DNA-molecule biochip for the parallelization of tethered particle motion analyses by videomicroscopy coupled to image analysis and its smart combination with aptamers, we successfully developed an aptasensor enabling the detection of single target molecules by a sandwich assay. One aptamer is grafted to the nanoparticles tethered to the surface by a long DNA molecule bearing the second aptamer in its middle. The detection and quantification of the target are direct. The recognition of the target by a pair of aptamers leads to a looped configuration of the DNA-particle complex associated with a restricted motion of the particles, which is monitored in real time. An analytical range extending over 3 orders of magnitude of target concentration with a limit of detection in the picomolar range was obtained for thrombin.

Development of a near infrared protein nanoprobe targeting Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen for intraoperative detection of submillimeter nodules in an ovarian peritoneal carcinomatosis mouse model.

The epithelial ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological malignancy due to its late diagnostic and many relapses observed after first line of treatment. Once diagnose, the most important prognostic factor is the completeness of cytoreductive surgery. To achieve this goal, surgeons have to pinpoint and remove nodules, especially the smallest nodules. Recent advances in fluorescence-guided surgery led us to develop a recombinant lectin as a nanoprobe for the microscopic detection of nodules in the peritoneal cavity of tumor-bearing mice. This lectin has an intrinsic specificity for a carcinoma-associated glycan biomarker, the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen. In this study, after its labelling by a near infrared dye, we first demonstrated that this nanoprobe allowed indirect detection of nodules already implanted in the peritoneal cavity, through tumor microenvironment targeting. Secondly, in a protocol mimicking the scattering of cells during surgery, we obtained a direct and long-lasting detection of tumor cells in vivo. This lectin as already been described as a nanocontainer able to do targeted delivery of a therapeutic compound to carcinoma cells. Future developments will focus on the combination of the nanoprobe and nanocontainer aspects in an intraperitoneal nanotheranostic approach.

DNA-based nanobiosensors for monitoring of water quality.

Water pollution is a global concern for human and environmental health. As technology and industries have developed over the past decades, increasingly more complex and diverse pollutants are found even in treated waters. For better management of water resources, continuous and efficient monitoring is needed to detect the broad range of contaminants. Biosensors have the potential to meet this challenge and to overcome the limitations of the conventional methods used for water analysis. They combine a biological recognition element to a transducer in a sensitive and robust device, capable of specific detection of molecules of interest. DNA-based sensing technologies meet this set of specifications and benefit from the progress made in nanoscience and nanotechnology. This mini-review proposes an overview of this upcoming new generation of DNA-based biosensors, focusing on promising innovations having for portable, stable, rapid and sensitive devices for water quality monitoring.

A protein nanocontainer targeting epithelial cancers: rational engineering, biochemical characterization, drug loading and cell delivery.

The development of drug delivery and imaging tools is a major challenge in human health, in particular in cancer pathologies. This work describes the optimization of a protein nanocontainer, belonging to the lectin protein family, for its use in epithelial cancer diagnosis and treatment. Indeed, it specifically targets a glycosidic marker, the T antigen, which is known to be characteristic of epithelial cancers. Its quaternary structure reveals a large hydrated inner cavity able to transport small therapeutic molecules. Optimization of the nanocontainer by site directed mutagenesis allowed controlling loading and release of confined drugs. Doxorubicin confinement was followed, both theoretically and experimentally, and provided a proof of concept for the use of this nanocontainer as a vectorization system. In OVCAR-3 cells, a human ovarian adenocarcinoma cell line that expresses the T antigen, the drug was observed to be delivered inside late endosomes/lysosomes. These results show that this new type of vectorization and imaging device opens new exciting perspectives in nano-theranostic approaches.

G-quadruplex aptamer selection using capillary electrophoresis-LED-induced fluorescence and Illumina sequencing.

One of the major difficulties that arises when selecting aptamers containing a G-quadruplex is the correct amplification of the ssDNA sequence. Can aptamers containing a G-quadruplex be selected from a degenerate library using non-equilibrium capillary electrophoresis (CE) of equilibrium mixtures (NECEEM) along with high-throughput Illumina sequencing? In this article, we present some mismatches of the G-quadruplex T29 aptamer specific to thrombin, which was PCR amplified and sequenced by Illumina sequencing. Then, we show the proportionality between the number of sequenced molecules of T29 added to the library and the number of sequences obtained in Illumina sequencing, and we find that T29 sequences from this aptamer can be detected in a random library of ssDNA after the sample is fractionated by NECEEM, amplified by PCR, and sequenced. Treatment of the data by the counting of double-stranded DNA T29 sequences containing a maximum of two mismatches reveals a good correlation with the enrichment factor (fE). This factor is the ratio of the number of aptamer sequences found in the collected complex sample divided by the total number of sequencing reads (aptamer and non-aptamer) plus the quantity of T29 molecules (spiked into a DNA library) injected into CE.

ssDNA degradation along capillary electrophoresis process using a Tris buffer.

Tris-Acetate buffer is currently used in the selection and the characterization of ssDNA by capillary electrophoresis (CE). By applying high voltage, the migration of ionic species into the capillary generates a current that induces water electrolysis. This phenomenon is followed by the modification of the pH and the production of Tris derivatives. By injecting ten times by capillary electrophoresis ssDNA (50 nM), the whole oligonucleotide was degraded. In this paper, we will show that the Tris buffer in the running vials is modified along the electrophoretic process by electrochemical reactions. We also observed that the composition of the metal ions changes in the running buffer vials. This phenomenon, never described in CE, is important for fluorescent ssDNA analysis using Tris buffer. The oligonucleotides are degraded by electrochemically synthesized species (present in the running Tris vials) until it disappears, even if the separation buffer in the capillary is clean. To address these issues, we propose to use a sodium phosphate buffer that we demonstrate to be electrochemically inactive.

Chemical and Instrumental Approaches for Capillary Electrophoresis (CE)-Fluorescence Analysis of Proteins.

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled to fluorescence detection is an invaluable technique for the quantitative analysis of proteins of interest in the field of clinical diagnosis and quality control of novel biotechnology products. The various chemical and instrumental approaches that have been reported to carry out such sensitive analysis are described in this paper. To illustrate the contribution of CE to the analysis of therapeutic proteins, a detailed protocol for impurities profiling of a recombinant antibody sample using CE-LEDIF is given.

Direct validation of aptamers as powerful tools to image solid tumor.

Visualization of cancer cells requires distinguishing malignant from normal cells by objective criteria with high specificity. For several years, tumor markers expressed on the surface of cancer cells have been characterized as cancer signatures, and their labeling with specific imaging probes has revolutionized cancer diagnosis. This specific labeling is also an important tool in surgery tumor ablation. The present study considers the tumor labeling potential of an aptamer that specifically recognizes the epithelial cancer biomarker mucin1 (MUC1). This anti-MUC1 aptamer was investigated in vitro in a three-dimensional (3D) environment and compared to an anti-MUC1 antibody for its capacity to visualize cancer cells. Multicellular spheroids of breast cancer MCF-7 cells were used as tumor models and anti-MUC1 fluorescent aptamer and antibody were visualized by fluorescence imaging. Results showed that the antibodies interacted only with cells located on the surface of the spheroid, whereas the anti-MUC1 aptamers were able to penetrate inside these 3D tumor models and thereafter internalized into the cancer cells. Due to their lack of immunogenicity and their facility to be chemically modified, aptamers may replace advantageously the use of antibodies in diagnosis based on imaging setup thanks to their specific detection of cancer cells without invasive surgical procedures or during clinical intraoperative intervention.

α,ß-D-constrained nucleic acids are strong terminators of thermostable DNA polymerases in polymerase chain reaction.

(S(C5'), R(P)) α,ß-D- Constrained Nucleic Acids (CNA) are dinucleotide building blocks that can feature either B-type torsional angle values or non-canonical values, depending on their 5'C and P absolute stereochemistry. These CNA are modified neither on the nucleobase nor on the sugar structure and therefore represent a new class of nucleotide with specific chemical and structural characteristics. They promote marked bending in a single stranded DNA so as to preorganize it into a loop-like structure, and they have been shown to induce rigidity within oligonucleotides. Following their synthesis, studies performed on CNA have only focused on the constraints that this family of nucleotides introduced into DNA. On the assumption that bending in a DNA template may produce a terminator structure, we investigated whether CNA could be used as a new strong terminator of polymerization in PCR. We therefore assessed the efficiency of CNA as a terminator in PCR, using triethylene glycol phosphate units as a control. Analyses were performed by denaturing gel electrophoresis and several PCR products were further analysed by sequencing. The results showed that the incorporation of only one CNA was always skipped by the polymerases tested. On the other hand, two CNA units always stopped proofreading polymerases, such as Pfu DNA polymerase, as expected for a strong replication terminator. Non-proofreading enzymes, e.g. Taq DNA polymerase, did not recognize this modification as a strong terminator although it was predominantly stopped by this structure. In conclusion, this first functional use of CNA units shows that these modified nucleotides can be used as novel polymerization terminators of proofreading polymerases. Furthermore, our results lead us to propose that CNA and their derivatives could be useful tools for investigating the behaviour of different classes of polymerases.

Fluorescence imaging agents in cancerology.

BACKGROUND: One of the major challenges in cancer therapy is to improve early detection and prevention using novel targeted cancer diagnostics. Detection requests specific recognition. Tumor markers have to be ideally present on the surface of cancer cells. Their targeting with ligands coupled to imaging agents make them visible/detectable. CONCLUSIONS: Fluorescence imaging is a newly emerging technology which is becoming a complementary medical method for cancer diagnosis. It allows detection with a high spatio-temporal resolution of tumor markers in small animals and in clinical studies. In this review, we focus on the recent outcome of basic studies in the design of new approaches (probes and devices) used to detect tumor cells by fluorescence imaging.

Structure-function analysis of the THAP zinc finger of THAP1, a large C2CH DNA-binding module linked to Rb/E2F pathways.

THAP1, the founding member of a previously uncharacterized large family of cellular proteins (THAP proteins), is a sequence-specific DNA-binding factor that has recently been shown to regulate cell proliferation through modulation of pRb/E2F cell cycle target genes. THAP1 shares its DNA-binding THAP zinc finger domain with Drosophila P element transposase, zebrafish E2F6, and several nematode proteins interacting genetically with the retinoblastoma protein pRb. In this study, we report the three-dimensional structure and structure-function relationships of the THAP zinc finger of human THAP1. Deletion mutagenesis and multidimensional NMR spectroscopy revealed that the THAP domain of THAP1 is an atypical zinc finger of approximately 80 residues, distinguished by the presence between the C2CH zinc coordinating residues of a short antiparallel beta-sheet interspersed by a long loop-helix-loop insertion. Alanine scanning mutagenesis of this loop-helix-loop motif resulted in the identification of a number of critical residues for DNA recognition. NMR chemical shift perturbation analysis was used to further characterize the residues involved in DNA binding. The combination of the mutagenesis and NMR data allowed the mapping of the DNA binding interface of the THAP zinc finger to a highly positively charged area harboring multiple lysine and arginine residues. Together, these data represent the first structure-function analysis of a functional THAP domain, with demonstrated sequence-specific DNA binding activity. They also provide a structural framework for understanding DNA recognition by this atypical zinc finger, which defines a novel family of cellular factors linked to cell proliferation and pRb/E2F cell cycle pathways in humans, fish, and nematodes.

The THAP-zinc finger protein THAP1 regulates endothelial cell proliferation through modulation of pRB/E2F cell-cycle target genes.

We recently cloned a novel human nuclear factor (designated THAP1) from postcapillary venule endothelial cells (ECs) that contains a DNA-binding THAP domain, shared with zebrafish E2F6 and several Caenorhabditis elegans proteins interacting genetically with retinoblastoma gene product (pRB). Here, we show that THAP1 is a physiologic regulator of EC proliferation and cell-cycle progression, 2 essential processes for angiogenesis. Retroviral-mediated gene transfer of THAP1 into primary human ECs inhibited proliferation, and large-scale expression profiling with microarrays revealed that THAP1-mediated growth inhibition is due to coordinated repression of pRB/E2F cell-cycle target genes. Silencing of endogenous THAP1 through RNA interference similarly inhibited EC proliferation and G1/S cell-cycle progression, and resulted in down-regulation of several pRB/E2F cell-cycle target genes, including RRM1, a gene required for S-phase DNA synthesis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in proliferating ECs showed that endogenous THAP1 associates in vivo with a consensus THAP1-binding site found in the RRM1 promoter, indicating that RRM1 is a direct transcriptional target of THAP1. The similar phenotypes observed after THAP1 overexpression and silencing suggest that an optimal range of THAP1 expression is essential for EC proliferation. Together, these data provide the first links in mammals among THAP proteins, cell proliferation, and pRB/E2F cell-cycle pathways.

The THAP domain of THAP1 is a large C2CH module with zinc-dependent sequence-specific DNA-binding activity.

We have recently described an evolutionarily conserved protein motif, designated the THAP domain, which defines a previously uncharacterized family of cellular factors (THAP proteins). The THAP domain exhibits similarities to the site-specific DNA-binding domain of Drosophila P element transposase, including a putative metal-coordinating C2CH signature (CX(2-4)CX(35-53)CX(2)H). In this article, we report a comprehensive list of approximately 100 distinct THAP proteins in model animal organisms, including human nuclear proapoptotic factors THAP1 and DAP4/THAP0, transcriptional repressor THAP7, zebrafish orthologue of cell cycle regulator E2F6, and Caenorhabditis elegans chromatin-associated protein HIM-17 and cell-cycle regulators LIN-36 and LIN-15B. In addition, we demonstrate the biochemical function of the THAP domain as a zinc-dependent sequence-specific DNA-binding domain belonging to the zinc-finger superfamily. In vitro binding-site selection allowed us to identify an 11-nucleotide consensus DNA-binding sequence specifically recognized by the THAP domain of human THAP1. Mutations of single nucleotide positions in this sequence abrogated THAP-domain binding. Experiments with the zinc chelator 1,10-o-phenanthroline revealed that the THAP domain is a zinc-dependent DNA-binding domain. Site-directed mutagenesis of single cysteine or histidine residues supported a role for the C2CH motif in zinc coordination and DNA-binding activity. The four other conserved residues (P, W, F, and P), which define the THAP consensus sequence, were also found to be required for DNA binding. Together with previous genetic data obtained in C. elegans, our results suggest that cellular THAP proteins may function as zinc-dependent sequence-specific DNA-binding factors with roles in proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, chromosome segregation, chromatin modification, and transcriptional regulation.

The THAP domain: a novel protein motif with similarity to the DNA-binding domain of P element transposase.

We have identified a novel evolutionarily conserved protein motif - designated the THAP domain - that defines a new family of cellular factors. We have found that the THAP domain presents striking similarities with the site-specific DNA-binding domain (DBD) of Drosophila P element transposase, including a similar size, N-terminal location, and conservation of the residues that define the THAP motif, such as the C2CH signature (Cys-Xaa(2-4)-Cys-Xaa(35-50)-Cys-Xaa(2)-His). Our results suggest that the THAP domain is a novel example of a DBD that is shared between cellular proteins and transposases from mobile genomic parasites.