Glycopolymers have
emerged as powerful and versatile glycan analogues
for the investigation of cellular signal transduction. In this study,
a layer of the glycopolymer-brush (GlyB) interface was functionalized
on the surface of gold substrates. In order to enhance the capability
and accessibility of this transducer interface, a combined protocol
of copper(0)-mediated living radical polymerization (Cu(0)-LRP) with
subsequent “CuAAC” click reaction was utilized to synthesize
a set of novel glycopolymer precursors with a tunable scaffold structure
and pyranose ligands. The resulting glycopolymer exhibited a fine-tuned
molecular weight with a minor dispersity of 1.27. Through surface
plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis, various GlyB interfaces exhibiting
different saccharide moieties (glucose, mannose, and galactose) were
examined to study their adhesion or antiadhesion potential toward
three types of proteins, concanavalin A, bovine serum albumin, and
peanut agglutinin (PNA). The strong affinity between poly(galactose)
and PNA was further employed to construct a proof-of-concept aggregation-mediated
sensing system. This minimal naked-eye sensor that consisted of only
two substances, namely, gold nanoparticles and glycopolymers, was
characterized and tested for its potential in protein quantification.
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