Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter
the Art oF BIoConjugAtIon:
FunCtIonAlIzAtIon oF VnPs
Bioconjugation allows the linking of two or more molecules together to
create a novel hybrid material, resulting in the introduction of a moiety (a
functional group) into a biomolecule. Bioconjugation techniques have been
applied to nearly every class of biomolecule, such as lipids, carbohydrates,
polysaccharides,
nucleic
acids,
oligonucleotides,
peptides,
proteins,
antibodies, and viral nanoparticles (VNPs).
A large range of commercially available reagents have been developed;
for example, see the online catalogs of Pierce (http:www.piercenet.com),
Invitrogen (http://www.invitrogen.com), and Solulink (http://www.solulink.
com). Commercially available reagents range from small organic fluorescent
dyes, which can be used as tracers and imaging molecules, to bi- and trivalent
chemical linkers that allow combining two or three molecules.
Labeling techniques find applications in nearly any discipline. In
basic
research
, derivatization techniques are used for the analysis of protein
structure and function, and protein purification, and a large range of labeled
conjugates are used for immunohistochemistry. In
medicine
, labeled proteins
and nanomaterials are used in
Furthermore,
immobilized nanomaterials, enzymes, antibodies, and nucleic acids find
applications as biosensors and tracers in assays used for
diagnostics
,
imaging
,
and
therapy.
environmental
,
industrial
clinical testing.
Bioconjugation techniques play an important role in viral nanotechno-
logy. For many applications, the VNP is used as a building block or
construction material to generate a functional entity. For medical
applications, for example, VNPs are labeled with imaging molecules such as
fluorescent dyes or contrast agents such as gadolinium, allowing detection
by fluorescence microscopy or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Also,
targeting ligands, such as peptides, proteins, or antibodies, as well as
,
military
,
and
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