Pushing the detection limits: The evanescent field in surface plasmon resonance and analyte-induced folding observation of long human telomeric repeats

► We have detected the folding of long telomeres in response to potassium ions by SPR. ► Telomere contraction leads to refractive index changes within the evanescent field. ► This new detection principle can be used for the measurement of small analytes. Conventional analysis of molecular interactio...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biosensors & bioelectronics 2012-01, Vol.31 (1), p.571-574
Main Authors: Schlachter, Constanze, Lisdat, Fred, Frohme, Marcus, Erdmann, Volker A., Konthur, Zoltán, Lehrach, Hans, Glökler, Jörn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Biosensing Techniques - instrumentation
Biotechnology
Equipment Design
Equipment Failure Analysis
Evanescent field
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human telomere
Humans
Ligand-induced folding
Long concatemeric repeat
Molecular Probe Techniques - instrumentation
Refractometry - instrumentation
Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid - genetics
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity
Surface plasmon resonance
Surface Plasmon Resonance - instrumentation
Telomere - genetics
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:► We have detected the folding of long telomeres in response to potassium ions by SPR. ► Telomere contraction leads to refractive index changes within the evanescent field. ► This new detection principle can be used for the measurement of small analytes. Conventional analysis of molecular interactions by surface plasmon resonance is achieved by the observation of optical density changes due to analyte binding to the ligand on the surface. Low molecular weight interaction partners are normally not detected. However, if a macromolecule such as DNA can extend beyond the evanescent field and analyte interaction results in a large-scale contraction, then the refractive index changes due to the increasing amount of macromolecules close to the surface. In our proof-of-principle experiment we could observe the direct folding of long, human telomeric repeats induced by the small analyte potassium using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. This work demonstrates the feasibility of new evanescent field-based biosensors that can specifically observe small molecule interactions.
ISSN:0956-5663
1873-4235
DOI:10.1016/j.bios.2011.11.003