Investigation of the antigen antibody reaction between anti-bovine serum albumin (a-BSA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) using piezoresistive microcantilever based sensors.

A new microsensor application based on piezoresistive microcantilever technology has been used to study the interaction of anti-bovine serum albumin (a-BSA) with bovine serum albumin (BSA). A thin layer of BSA attached to a glass slide was used as the active sensing layer for the detection of a-BSA in solution. This design produced a large, consistent cantilever deflection when exposed to the analyte. In this system, the cantilever deflection is measured as a simple resistance change in the piezoresistive channel within the cantilever. In a second set of experiments, 3:1 BSA:PEO protein/polymer blended substrates were used as the active sensing layer for the detection of a-BSA in an aerosol delivery. A distinct signature for the analyte, separate from the water vapor carrier, is obtained for this system.

The interaction of biological molecules with clay minerals: a scanning force microscopy study.

We have used the technique of scanning force microscopy (SFM) to investigate the reaction of both amino acids and activated nucleotides in the presence of the clay mineral Cu(II)-exchanged hectorite. Using simulated prebiotic heating and wetting cycles, we have shown that the clay mineral acts to adsorb, concentrate, and subsequently catalyze the polymerization of these biological monomers into short peptides and oligonucleotides. The presence of the Cu(II) cations within the clay intergallery regions, and at surface step edges and cracks, is crucial for the observed reactions to occur. Clay minerals such as hectorite may have thus played an important role in the evolution of biologically viable molecules on the prebiotic earth.