No abstract

Colloidal gold nanocrystals have been used to develop a new class of nanobiosensors that is able to recognize and detect specific DNA sequences and single-base mutations in a homogeneous format. At the core of this biosensor is a 2.5-nm gold nanoparticle that functions as both a nano-scaffold and a nano-quencher (efficient energy acceptor). Attached to this core are oligonucleotide molecules labeled with a thiol group at one end and a fluorophore at the other. This hybrid bio/inorganic construct is found to spontaneously assemble into a constrained arch-like conformation on the particle surface. Binding of target molecules results in a conformational change, which restores the fluorescence of the quenched fluorophore. Unlike conventional molecular beacons with a stem-and-loop structure, the nanoparticle probes do not require a stem, and their background fluorescence increases little with temperature. In comparison with the organic quencher Dabcyl (4,4'-dimethylaminophenyl azo benzoic acid), metal nanoparticles have unique structural and optical properties for new applications in biosensing and molecular engineering.

An optical imaging probe was synthesized by attaching a near-infrared carbocyanine fluorophore to an affinity group containing two zinc(II) dipicolylamine (Zn-DPA) units. The probe has a strong and selective affinity for the surfaces of bacteria, and it was used to image infections of Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli bacteria in living nude mice. After intravenous injection, the probe selectively accumulates at the sites of localized bacterial infections in the thigh muscles of the mice.Bacterial imaging is an emerging technology that has many health and environmental applications. 1 For example, there is an obvious need to develop highly sensitive assays that can detect very small numbers of pathogenic bacterial cells in food, drinking water or biomedical samples. In other situations, the goal is to study in vivo the temporal and spatial distribution of bacteria in live animals.Optical imaging of bacteria in vivo is much less developed than methods such as radioimaging and MRI. One approach is to use bacteria that are genetically encoded to produce luciferase or green fluorescent protein. 2 A second strategy, which is the focus of this study, employs a molecular probe with a fluorescent reporter group. An obvious limitation with a live animal is restricted tissue penetration of the light. However, near-infrared (NIR) dyes with emission wavelengths in the region of 650−900 nm can propagate through two or more centimeters of tissue, and may enable deeper tissue imaging if sensitive detection techniques are employed. Molecular imaging probes can often be deconstructed into two structural components, an affinity ligand and a reporter group. In the case of bacterial targeting, previously reported affinity ligands include antibodies, 5 sugars, 6 bacteria binding peptides, 7 antimicrobial peptides, 8 enzyme substrates, 9 and antibiotic drugs. 10 Recently, we discovered that fluorescent molecular probes containing synthetic zinc(II) dipicolylamine (Zn-DPA) coordination complexes as affinity groups are able to selectively stain the surfaces of bacterial cells 11 and apoptotic animal cells. 12 Zn-DPA affinity ligands bind strongly to the anionic surfaces that are a common characteristic of these two cell-types, whereas affinity for the zwitterionic surfaces of healthy animal cells is weak. These in vitro results have motivated us to pursue in vivo studies, and we report that molecular probe 1, which has a NIR fluorophore attached to an affinity group with two Zn-DPA units, can be used for targeted, fluorescence imaging of bacterial infection in a living whole animal.The bacterial imaging probe 1 (λ max abs: 794 nm, em: 810 nm) was prepared in straightforward fashion using a carbocyanine dye as the NIR fluorophore. 13 Researchers have incorporated this fluorophore into probes for other optical imaging applications. 14 In vitro fluorescence microscopy studies proved that probe 1 can effectively stain the periphery of bacterial cells (Figure 1). In contrast, the cells are not stained when treated un...