Label-free monitoring of immuno-specific interactions of adsorbed multilayer of proteins.

Protein-protein interactions in adsorbed multilayer of an immuno-specific system of proteins that include staphylococcal protein A (SpA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), anti-chicken immunoglobulin Y (ac-IgG), chicken serum IgG (cs-IgG), and rabbit serum IgG (rs-IgG) on polystyrene (PS) were studied using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A systematic analysis allowed a direct qualitative and quantitative determination of protein interactions at each step of specific and nonspecific binding conditions at the molecular level. The study also provided information about (1) the adsorption behavior of the proteins, (2) the role of SpA in enabling correct orientation of the adsorbed IgG and maintaining the stability of the adsorbed SpA/ac-IgG system on the PS surface, (3) the function of BSA as both blocking reagent and promoter of specific and selective binding, and (4) the bioactivity conserved accommodation of SpA molecules on the PS surface. Furthermore, the unique characteristics of cs-IgG such as passive toward SpA adsorption and exposure of the multivalence state at nonspecific binding conditions was revealed spectroscopically. The present investigation provides a platform for further extension of the adopted methodology to a more complex system of immuno-detection for highly sensitive and rapid diagnostics.

Surface-confined heterometallic triads on the basis of terpyridyl complexes and design of molecular logic gates.

Surface-confined heterometallic molecular triads (SURHMTs) were fabricated on SiOx-based solid substrates using optically rich and redox-active Fe-, Os-, and Ru-based terpyridyl complexes as metalloligands and Cu(2+) ions as linkers. Optical and electrochemical studies reveal efficient electronic intramolecular communication in these assemblies. The UV-vis spectra of the triads exhibit a superposition of the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer bands of individual complexes, providing a significant enlargement of the optical window, useful for application. Similarly, cyclic voltammograms of SURHMT layers show a variety of redox peaks corresponding to individual complexes as well as multi-redox states at a low potential. Interaction of a representative SURHMT assembly with redox-active NOBF4 was investigated and used as a basis for configuring molecular logic gates.