Abstract
Luminescent quantum dots (QDs) have widely used in some biological and biomedical fields due to their unique and fascinating optical properties, meanwhile the interaction of QDs with biomolecules recently attract increasing attention. In this paper, we employed fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to investigate the nonspecific interaction between CdTe QDs and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model, and evaluate their stoichiometric ratio and association constant. Our results documented that BSA was able to bind to CdTe QDs and form the QD–BSA complex by a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio. The association constant evaluated is 1.06 ± 0.14 × 107 M−1 in 0.01 M phosphate buffer (pH = 7.4). Furthermore, we found that QD–BSA complex dissociated with increase of ion strength, and we speculated that the interaction of CdTe QDs with BSA was mainly attributed to electrostatic attraction. Our preliminary results demonstrate that fluorescence correlation spectroscopy is an effective tool for investigation of the interaction between quantum dots (or nanoparticles) and biomolecules.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alivisatos AP, Gu WW, Larabell C (2005) Quantum dots as cellular probes. Annu Rev Biomed Eng 7:55–76, doi:10.1146/annurev.bioeng.7.060804.100432
Michalet X, Pinaud FF, Bentolila LA, Tsay JM, Doose S, Li JJ et al (2005) Quantum dots for live cells, in vivo imaging, and diagnostics. Science 307:538–544, doi:10.1126/science.1104274
Medintz IL, Uyeda HT, Goldman ER, Mattoussi H (2005) Quantum dot bioconjugates for imaging, labelling and sensing. Nat Mater 4(6):435–446, doi:10.1038/nmat1390
Wang Y, Tang Z, Kotov NA (2005) Bioapplication of nanosemiconductors. Mater Today 8(5):20–31, doi:10.1016/S1369-7021(05)00892-8
Clapp AR, Medintz IL, Mattoussi H (2006) Forster resonance energy transfer investigations using quantum-dot fluorophores. Chem Phys Chem 7(1):47–57, doi:10.1002/cphc.200500217
Ballou B, Lagerholm BC, Ernst LA, Bruchez MP, Waggoner AS (2004) Noninvasive imaging of quantum dots in mice. Bioconjug Chem 15(1):79–86, doi:10.1021/bc034153y
Sun B, Xie W, Yi G, Chen D, Zhou Y, Cheng J (2001) Microminiaturized immunoassays using quantum dots as fluorescent label by laser confocal scanning fluorescence detection. J Immunol Methods 249(1):85–89, doi:10.1016/S0022-1759(00)00331-8
Samia ACS, Chen X, Burda C (2003) Semiconductor quantum dots for photodynamic therapy. J Am Chem Soc 125(51):15736–15737, doi:10.1021/ja0386905
Pathak S, Choi SK, Arnheim N, Thompson ME (2001) Hydroxylated quantum dots as luminescent probes for in situ hybridization. J Am Chem Soc 123(17):4103–4104, doi:10.1021/ja0058334
Wu X, Liu H, Liu J, Haley KN, Treadway JA, Larson JP et al (2003) Immunofluorescent labeling of cancer marker Her2 and other cellular targets with semiconductor quantum dots. Nat Biotechnol 21(1):41–46, doi:10.1038/nbt764
Parak WJ, Gerion D, Zanchet D, Woerz AS, Pellegrino T, Micheel C, Seitz SC, Williams M, Bruehl RE, Bryant Z, Bustamante C, Bertozzi CR, Alivisatos AP (2002) Conjugation of DNA to silanized colloidal semiconductor nanocrystalline quantum dots. Chem Mater 14(5):2113–2119, doi:10.1021/cm0107878
Nehilla BJ, Vu TQ, Desai TA (2005) Stoichiometry-dependent formation of quantum dot-antibody bioconjugates: a complementary atomic force microscopy and agarose gel electrophoresis study. J Phys Chem B 109(44):20724–20730, doi:10.1021/jp052613+
Ipe BI, Shukla A, Lu H, Zou B, Rehage H, Niemeyer CM (2006) Dynamic light-scattering analysis of the electrostatic interaction of hexahistidine-tagged cytochrome P450 enzyme with semiconductor quantum dots. Chem Phys Chem 7(1):1–8, doi:10.1002/cphc.200690000
Pons T, Uyeda HT, Medintz IL, Mattoussi H (2006) Hydrodynamic dimensions, electrophoretic mobility, and stability of hydrophilic quantum dots. J Phys Chem B 110(41):20308–20316, doi:10.1021/jp065041h
Mamedova NN, Kotov NA, Rogach AL, Studer J (2001) Albumin-CdTe nanoparticle bioconjugates: preparation, structure, and interunit energy transfer with antenna effect. Nano Lett 1(6):281–286, doi:10.1021/nl015519n
Pinaud F, King D, Moore H-P, Weiss S (2004) Bioactivation and cell targeting of semiconductor CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals with phytochelatin-related peptides. J Am Chem Soc 126(19):6115–6123 doi:10.1021/ja031691c
Ding S-Y, Jones M, Tucker MP, Nedeljkovic JM, Wall J, Simon MN et al (2003) Quantum dot molecules assembled with genetically engineered proteins. Nano Lett 3(11):1581–1585, doi:10.1021/nl034578t
Mattoussi H, Mauro JM, Goldman ER, Anderson GP, Sunder VC, Mikulee FV et al (2000) Self-assembly of CdSe-ZnS quantum dot bioconjugates using an engineered recombinant protein. J Am Chem Soc 122(49):12142–12150, doi:10.1021/ja002535y
Lindman S, Lynch I, Thulin E, Nilsson H, Dawson KA, Linse S (2007) Systematic investigation of the thermodynamics of HSA adsorption to N-iso-propylacrylamide/N-tert-butylacrylamide copolymer nanoparticles. effects of particle size and hydrophobicity. Nano Lett 7(4):914–920, doi:10.1021/nl062743+
Cedervall T, Lynch I, Linderman S, Berggard T, Thulin E, Nilsson H et al (2007) Understanding the nanoparticle-protein corona using methods to quantify exchange rates and affinities of proteins for nanoparticles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104(7):2050–2055, doi:10.1073/pnas.0608582104
Hess ST, Huang SH, Heikal AA, Webb WW (2002) Biological and chemical applications of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy: a review. Biochemistry 41(3):697–705, doi:10.1021/bi0118512
Haustein E, Schwille P (2003) Ultrasensitive investigations of biological systems by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Methods 29(2):153–166, doi:10.1016/S1046-2023(02)00306-7
Dong CQ, Qian HF, Fang NH, Ren JC (2006) Study of fluorescence quenching and dialysis process of CdTe quantum dots, using ensemble techniques and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. J Phys Chem B 110(23):11069–11075, doi:10.1021/jp060279r
Wohland T, Friedrich K, Hovius R, Vogel H (1999) Study of ligand–receptor interactions by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy with different fluorophores: evidence that the homopentameric 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3as receptor binds only one ligand. Biochemistry 38(27):8671–8681, doi:10.1021/bi990366s
Schubert F, Zettl H, Hafner W, Krauss G, Krausch G (2003) Comparative thermodynamic analysis of DNA–protein interactions using surface Plasmon resonance and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Biochemistry 42(34):10288–10294, doi:10.1021/bi034033d
Ling CH, Gosch M, Lasser T, Wohland T (2006) Simultaneous multicolor fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy to detect higher order molecular interactions using single wavelength laser excitation. Biophys J 91(2):715–727, doi:10.1529/biophysj.105.074120
Pack C-G, Aoki K, Taguchi H, Yoshida M, Kinjo M, Tamura M (2000) Effect of electrostatic interactions on the binding of charged substrate to GroEL studied by highly sensitive fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 267(1):300–304, doi:10.1006/bbrc.1999.1864
Larson DR, Zipfel WR, Williams RM, Clark SW, Bruchez MP, Wise FW et al (2003) Water-soluble quantum dots for multiphoton fluorescence imaging in vivo. Science 300:1434–1436, doi:10.1126/science.1083780
Doose S, Tsay J, Pinaud F, Weiss S (2005) Comparison of photophysical and colloidal properties of biocompatible semiconductor nanocrystals using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Anal Chem 77(7):2235–2242, doi:10.1021/ac050035n
Yao J, Larson DR, Vishwasrao HD, Zipfel WR, Webb WW (2005) Blinking and nonradiant dark fraction of water-soluble quantum dots in aqueous solution. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102(40):14284–14298, doi:10.1073/pnas.0506523102
Tsay JM, Doose S, Pinaud F, Weiss S (2005) Enhancing the photoluminescence of peptide-coated nanocrystals with shell composition and UV irradiation. J Phys Chem B 109(5):1669–1674, doi:10.1021/jp046828f
Pellegrino T, Manna L, Kudera S, Liedl T, Koktysh D, Rogach AL, Keller S, Raedler J, Natile G, Parak WJ (2004) Hydrophobic nanocrystals coated with an amphiphilic polymer shell: a general route to water soluble nanocrystals. Nano Lett 4(4):703–707, doi:10.1021/nl035172j
Li L, Qian HF, Ren JC (2005) Rapid synthesis of highly luminescent CdTe nanocrystals in the aqueous phase by microwave irradiation with controllable temperature. Chem Commun (Camb) 528–530, doi:10.1039/b412686f
Li L, Qian HF, Fang NH, Ren JC (2006) Significant enhancement of the quantum yield of CdTe nanocrystals synthesized in aqueous phase by controlling the pH and concentrations of precursor solutions. J Lumin 116(1):59–66, doi:10.1016/j.jlumin.2005.03.001
Zhang PD, Li L, Dong CQ, Qian HF, Ren JC (2005) Sizes of water-soluble luminescent quantum dots measured by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Anal Chim Acta 546(1):46–51, doi:10.1016/j.aca.2005.05.034
Wang KL, Qiu X, Dong CQ, Ren JC (2007) Single-molecule technology for rapid detection of dna hybridization based on resonance light scattering of gold nanoparticles. Chem Bio Chem 8(10):1126–1129, doi:10.1002/cbic.200700174
Meseth U, Wohland T, Rigler R, Vogel H (1999) Resolution of fluorescence correlation measurements. Biophys J 76(3):1619–1631
Goldman ER, Balighian ED, Mattoussi H, Kuno MK, Mauro JM, Tran PT et al (2002) Avidin: a natural bridge for quantum dot-antibody conjugates. J Am Chem Soc 124(22):6378–6382, doi:10.1021/ja0125570
Ha TH, Jeong JY, Chung BH (2005) Immobilization of hexa-arginine tagged esterase onto carboxylated gold nanoparticles. Chem Commun (Camb) 3959–3961, doi:10.1039/b504184h
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20675052, 20727005) and National High-Tech R and D Program (2006AA03Z324)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shao, L., Dong, C., Sang, F. et al. Studies on Interaction of CdTe Quantum Dots with Bovine Serum Albumin Using Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy. J Fluoresc 19, 151–157 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-008-0396-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-008-0396-0