Carbohydrate microarrays for the recognition of cross-reactive molecular markers of microbes and host cells

Abstract

We describe here the development of a carbohydrate-based microarray to extend the scope of biomedical research on carbohydrate-mediated molecular recognition and anti-infection responses. We have demonstrated that microbial polysaccharides can be immobilized on a surface-modified glass slide without chemical conjugation. With this procedure, a large repertoire of microbial antigens (approximately 20,000 spots) can be patterned on a single micro-glass slide, reaching the capacity to include most common pathogens. Glycoconjugates of different structural characteristics are shown here to be applicable for microarray fabrication, extending the repertoires of diversity and complexity of carbohydrate microarrays. The printed microarrays can be air-dried and stably stored at room temperature for long periods of time. In addition, the system is highly sensitive, allowing simultaneous detection of a broad spectrum of antibody specificities with as little as a few microliters of serum specimen. Finally, the potential of carbohydrate microarrays is demonstrated by the discovery of previously undescribed cellular markers, Dex-Ids.

Lectins: Proteins That Interpret the Sugar Code

“…by microarray techniques (10)(11)(12). These reports are based on the discovery that binding partners can be made by either linking the protein or the carbohydrate to a solid substrate.…”

An array of possibilities for the study of autoimmunity

“…By 'printing' all such antigens on the same array, it is possible to gain valuable autoantibody-profiling data with a simple assay. Arrays have been constructed and validated for over a dozen autoimmune diseases, including connective-tissue diseases (such as SLE, scleroderma and myositis), primary biliary cirrhosis, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes 42 , Crohn's disease, and sclerosing cholangitis 40,41,43 . Such autoimmune-disease-specific arrays include self-antigens, viral proteins and peptides, and bacterial antigens with complex carbohydrates and recombinant proteins, such as flagellin 41 .…”

“…38), allergies 39 and autoimmunity 40 . Arrays are composed of known antigens, including intact antigenic particles, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, linear peptides and constrained peptides in which disulphide bonds between cysteine residues provide secondary structure to the peptide 40,41 . By 'printing' all such antigens on the same array, it is possible to gain valuable autoantibody-profiling data with a simple assay.…”

Self-assembly by multi-drop evaporation of carbon-nanotube droplets on a polycarbonate substrate

“…It can also be used for energy storage [2] or in membrane technology [3]. As a principle, the deposition of micro-and nanoparticles on a substrate is relevant for manufacturing different kinds of coatings [4], but also to prepare micro-and nanowires [5] and to deposit complicated organized biological structures, such as DNA [6,7]. There are several ways to achieve particle deposition, such as dip coating, sedimentation and electrostatic assembly.…”