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Peptide self-assembly assisted signal labeling for an electrochemical assay of protease activity

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Abstract

Peptide self-assembly holds tremendous promise for a range of applications in chemistry and biology. In the work reported here, we explored the potential functions of peptide self-assembly in electrochemical bioanalysis by developing a peptide self-assembly assisted signal labeling strategy for assaying protease activity. The fundamental principle of this assay is that target-protease-catalyzed specific proteolytic cleavage blocks self-assembly between the probe peptide and signal peptide, thus preventing the signal labeling of electroactive silver nanoparticles on the electrode surface, which in turn causes the electrochemical signal to decrease. Using trypsin as an example protease target, the linear range of this assay was found to be 1 ng mL−1 to 100 mg mL−1, and its detection limit was 0.032 ng mL−1, which are better than the corresponding parameters for previously reported assays. Further experiments also highlighted the good selectivity of the assay method and demonstrated its usability when applied to serum samples. Therefore, this report not only introduces a valuable tool for assaying protease activity, but it also promotes the utilization of peptide self-assembly in electrochemical bioanalysis, as this approach has great potential for practical use in the future.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 81671781, 81401489, 31200745), and the Science and Technology Planning Project of Taicang (grant no. TC2015YYCX02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Suzhou Chien-shiung Institute of Technology, Taicang, Jiangsu, 215411, China

    Xiangyang Miao, Huizhen Yu & Zhun Gu

  2. Center for Molecular Recognition and Biosensing, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China

    Xiangyang Miao, Lili Yang, Jiahuan Teng, Ya Cao & Jing Zhao

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  1. Xiangyang Miao
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  2. Huizhen Yu
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  3. Zhun Gu
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  4. Lili Yang
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  5. Jiahuan Teng
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  6. Ya Cao
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  7. Jing Zhao
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Correspondence to Ya Cao or Jing Zhao.

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Miao, X., Yu, H., Gu, Z. et al. Peptide self-assembly assisted signal labeling for an electrochemical assay of protease activity. Anal Bioanal Chem 409, 6723–6730 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-017-0636-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-017-0636-8

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