Fabrication and Application of Protein Crystal Microarrays

Abstract

With the aim of fabricating highly integrated protein microarrays, functional proteins were occluded into a protein crystal, consisting of a proteinaceous occlusion body termed polyhedrin, and the crystals were individually fixed onto a polymer film by using laser trapping and bonding techniques. Individual crystals were trapped by the 1064 nm beam of a Nd³⁺:YAG laser and placed to the film. The bonding to the film was achieved by irradiating with the single shot of the 800 nm beam of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was occluded into the polyhedrin crystal and the crystals were patterned and observed by florescence imaging and single crystal florescence spectroscopy. From these experiments, the biological activity of the bonded crystal was confirmed and their potential as element in protein microarrays was discussed.