This Protocol is listed in the following Categories:
Chemical modification, Imaging, Nanotechnology

Author(s): S. Kumar, J. Aaron, K. Sokolov
Affiliation(s): Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2008.1

Directional conjugation of antibodies to nanoparticles for synthesis of multiplexed optical contrast agents with both delivery and targeting moieties

Molecular optical imaging has shown promise in visualizing molecular biomarkers with subcellular resolution both noninvasively and in real-time. Here, we use gold nanoparticles as optical probes to provide meaningful signal in the presence of targeted biomarkers. We present a novel conjugation technique to control the binding orientation of antibodies on the surface of gold nanoparticles to maximize antibody functionality. Briefly, a heterobifunctional linker, hydrazide-polyethylene glycol-dithiol, is used to directionally attach the Fc, or nonbinding region of the antibody, to the gold nanoparticle surface. The conjugation strategy allows for multiplexing various glycosylated antibodies on a single nanoparticle. We present a method to prepare multifunctional nanoparticles by incorporating targeting and delivery moieties on the same nanoparticle that addresses the challenge of imaging intracellular biomarkers. The time estimate for the entire protocol is ∼6 h.

Comments

Very useful protocol.

Is there any more information on the stability of the linker-antibody conjugate. i.e. how much do I need to worry about thiol oxidation during storage before conjugating to gold nanoparticles?
Also, is there any indication of the general stability/storage conditions of the nanoparticle-antibody conjugates? Having prepared my first batch, following overnight storage at 4 deg. in glassware, the solution has completely lost its colour and there is no evidence of particle sedimentation or adherence to the storage vessel.
Any further tips?

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