Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chandra S. Pundir, Bhawna Nohwal, Reeti Chaudhary
Summary: L-lysine, an essential amino acid obtained through diet, plays important roles in various industries and medical applications; Normal levels in healthy individuals range from 150 to 250 μmol/l. Imbalance in L-lysine levels in diseased conditions make it a potential biomarker for diagnosis; Various methods are available for determination of L-lysine, but biosensors are preferred due to their high sensitivity, stability, and specificity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Almudena Marti, Jurriaan Huskens
Summary: Affinity sensing of nucleic acids is a highly investigated area in biosensing, and in this study, a simple electrochemical DNA detection layer is developed using poly-l-lysine and gold nanoparticles as a signal amplifier. The method shows high contrast and sensitivity, making it potentially useful in DNA diagnostics.
Article
Optics
Pengqi Gong, Xuegang Li, Qiming Zhao, Xue Zhou, Yanan Zhang, Yong Zhao
Summary: This study compares the nucleotide-binding capability of Polyethylenimine (PEI) and Poly-L-Lysine (PLL), which are common coupling agents in optical-based nucleotide hybridization study, through a series of nucleotide hybridization experiments based on optical fiber surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The experimental results show that PEI has a higher work performance in nucleotide binding and detection. The study also demonstrates the outstanding DNA sensitivity of 0.13 nm/(nmol/L) and a detection limit of 4.9 nmol/L. This research proposes and experimentally verifies two nucleotide molecule detection methods based on optical fiber SPR sensing technology, and provides valuable insights for improving the measurement scheme of DNA sensors and the selection of gene carriers for manufacturing DNA complexes.
OPTICS AND LASER TECHNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
D. V. Estrada-Osorio, Ricardo A. Escalona-Villalpando, L. G. Arriaga, A. Gutierrez, J. Ledesma-Garcia
Summary: Ferrocene-based polymers have been widely studied as redox mediators in glucose biosensors. This work successfully modified poly-L-lysine (PLL) with ferrocene carboxylate and tested its performance as a redox mediator with glucose oxidase. The results showed remarkable activity and high selectivity. Scanning electrochemical microscopy was used to analyze the charged regions of the modified polymer on the electrode surface.
BIOELECTROCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Devesh Maurya, Rahul Nisal, Ruma Ghosh, Parshuram Kambale, Mehak Malhotra, Manickam Jayakannan
Summary: The development of self-reporting polymers with membrane disruption and visualization is crucial for early detection and treatment. In this study, coumarin fluorophore-tagged polypeptides based on PEG-block-poly(L-lysine) copolymers were synthesized. These polymers exhibited antimicrobial activity against E. coli with MIC90 values ranging from 1 x 10(-4) to 3 x 10(-4) g/mL. Confocal microscopic imaging revealed the mechanism of membrane pore formation, and the polypeptides showed high biocompatibility.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yujuan Qiao, Jing-Jing Hu, Yuxin Hu, Chong Duan, Wenlian Jiang, Qun Ma, Yuning Hong, Wei Hua Huang, Fan Xia, Xiaoding Lou
Summary: We present a platform for detecting unfolded proteins using electrical and optical signals in a nanochannel array with outer-surface probes. The platform can differentiate folded and unfolded protein states based on the exposure of a single cysteine thiol group, allowing the distinction between normal cells and Huntington's disease mutant cells. This study provides an effective approach for analyzing proteins with distinct conformations and holds promise for facilitating the diagnoses of protein conformation-related diseases.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Hao Wu, Shuqian Hu, Chunling Nie, Jiahui Zhang, Huafeng Tian, Weicheng Hu, Ting Shen, Jianguo Wang
Summary: A novel method was described for synthesizing antibacterial cellulose beads, which exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity and biodegradability, showing great potential for use in food and environmental applications.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Liang Wang, Chongyang Zhang, Jianhua Zhang, Zhiming Rao, Xueming Xu, Zhonggui Mao, Xusheng Chen
Summary: The review compares traditional and advanced strategies for discovering and cultivating high-producing strains of epsilon-poly-L-lysine, including traditional methods based on isolation and culture, genome mining, and directed evolution. Additionally, process engineering methods for improving production and efficient downstream purification methods are discussed in the article.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sijin Chen, Shuting Huang, Yan Li, Chuncai Zhou
Summary: This review summarized the advanced development in the synthesis and modification strategies of ε-poly-L-lysine (EPL) and lysine-based dendrimer (LBD) compounds, focusing on their applications in biomedical fields such as agents, adjuvants, and carriers for anti-pathogen, tumor, and gene therapies. The combination with other advanced methodologies and technologies shows potential for overcoming challenges like scale production and high expenses in the future development of lysine-based polymers.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Gavin Gonzales, Jiaul Hoque, Anna Gilpin, Biswanath Maity, Stefan Zauscher, Shyni Varghese
Summary: This study focuses on the development of cationic nanocarriers to overcome the challenges of drug delivery to cartilage tissue. These nanocarriers, which adhere quickly to cartilage tissue and can penetrate and remain within its full thickness, show promising results for therapeutic outcomes.
BIOENGINEERING & TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Weihang Wang, Chi Zhang, Jiaxin Guo, Gaiping Li, Baoxian Ye, Lina Zou
Summary: This article presents a homogeneous electrochemical biosensor for sensitive antibiotic detection utilizing catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) mediated by consecutive adenine sequences. The method allows for self-assembly of mimic targets with adenine sequences on a modified AuNPs electrode for electrochemical detection, providing a simple, specific, and precise approach.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Chunling Nie, Ting Shen, Weicheng Hu, Qin Ma, Jiahui Zhang, Shuqian Hu, Huafeng Tian, Hao Wu, Xiaogang Luo, Jianguo Wang
Summary: In this study, cellulose beads grafted with epsilon-poly-L-lysine were prepared through chemical reactions. The grafted beads showed strong antibacterial activities and biodegradability, indicating potential applications in water purification and food treatment fields.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Liang Wang, Yue Deng, Mengping Wu, Jianhua Zhang, Hongjian Zhang, Zhonggui Mao, Xusheng Chen
Summary: A dynamic pH-regulation strategy was developed to maintain and improve the production of e-poly-L-lysine (e-PL). The strategy effectively increased the production and productivity of e-PL by enhancing key enzyme activity, oxidative phosphorylation, ATP levels, ROS levels, and cellular antioxidant systems.
PROCESS BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jie Yu, Danwei Cen, Yongcheng Chen, Hailan Zhao, Mengyue Xu, Sulan Wu, Shuo Wang, Qiao Jin, Ting Shen
Summary: Antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to public health, and improving the therapeutic efficacy of conventional antibiotics is an effective solution. By conjugating the positively charged epsilon-poly-l-lysine to erythromycin, the modified EPL-EM showed enhanced antibacterial activity and reduced drug resistance development. Furthermore, EPL-EM exhibited excellent biocompatibility without inducing hemolysis and cytotoxicity.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Cong Wang, Hui Cao, Lingyun Jia, Wenli Liu, Pengtao Liu
Summary: This study designed an aerogel material using TOCNF/ε-PL network and citric acid as the cross-linking agent. Experimental results showed that the aerogel had good mechanical properties, antibacterial effects, biodegradability, and blood compatibility, indicating great potential applications in medical and food packaging fields.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jacopo Movilli, Ruben W. Kolkman, Andrea Rozzi, Roberto Corradini, Loes Segerink, Jurriaan Huskens
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shaiq Sultan, Andrea Rozzi, Jessica Gasparello, Alex Manicardi, Roberto Corradini, Chiara Papi, Alessia Finotti, Ilaria Lampronti, Eva Reali, Giulio Cabrini, Roberto Gambari, Monica Borgatti
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Stefano Volpi, Andrea Rozzi, Nicola Rivi, Martina Neri, Wolfgang Knoll, Roberto Corradini
Summary: A novel synthesis method of C(2)-modified peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) using minimally protected building blocks was proposed, reducing the required synthetic steps. The positively charged PNAs obtained from N(3)-unprotected, D-Lys- and D-Arg-based backbones showed high optical purity and improved sequence selectivity for targeting the G12D point mutation of the KRAS gene.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna Tamanini, Enrica Fabbri, Tiziana Jakova, Jessica Gasparello, Alex Manicardi, Roberto Corradini, Alessia Finotti, Monica Borgatti, Ilaria Lampronti, Silvia Munari, Maria Cristina Dechecchi, Giulio Cabrini, Roberto Gambari
Summary: Up-regulating the CFTR scaffolding protein NHERF1 using a PNA targeting miR-335-5p could be a potential strategy to increase CFTR expression in bronchial epithelial cells. Further research is needed to verify the effectiveness of this approach in treating cystic fibrosis caused by different mutations in the CFTR gene.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Stefano Volpi, Umberto Cancelli, Martina Neri, Roberto Corradini
Summary: The review gives an overview of the increasing applications of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) in both in vitro and cellular systems, as well as the development of delivery systems for PNAs. It emphasizes on newly developed multi-component and multifunctional carriers, along with discussing therapeutic strategies enabled by the combination of PNA and proper delivery systems.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Martina Neri, Jinyoung Kang, Jonathan M. Zuidema, Jessica Gasparello, Alessia Finotti, Roberto Gambari, Michael J. Sailor, Alessandro Bertucci, Roberto Corradini
Summary: In this study, it is demonstrated that peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) can be easily loaded into porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs) using a simple salt-based trapping procedure. The net charge of PNAs can be adjusted to optimize their loading and release kinetics within the nanoparticles, allowing for potential biomedical applications.
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Noemi Bellassai, Roberta D'Agata, Almudena Marti, Andrea Rozzi, Stefano Volpi, Matteo Allegretti, Roberto Corradini, Patrizio Giacomini, Jurriaan Huskens, Giuseppe Spoto
Summary: A new nanoparticle-enhanced assay simplifies the detection of tumor DNA in patient plasma, while a dual-functional low-fouling PLL-based surface layer allows for the detection of mutated DNA at attomolar levels without PCR amplification.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessica Gasparello, Chiara Papi, Matteo Zurlo, Laura Gambari, Andrea Rozzi, Alex Manicardi, Roberto Corradini, Roberto Gambari, Alessia Finotti
Summary: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly lethal tumor with no curative treatment available. This study investigated the potential of a combined therapy using sulforaphane (SFN) and a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) to target miR-15b-5p in GBM cells. The results showed that SFN and PNA-a15b synergistically induced apoptosis in GBM cells, suggesting the feasibility of using combined treatments based on PNAs and nutraceuticals to stimulate apoptosis in GBM.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Federica Curti, Simone Fortunati, Wolfgang Knoll, Marco Giannetto, Roberto Corradini, Alessandro Bertucci, Maria Careri
Summary: Efficient and timely testing plays a crucial role in managing, controlling, and monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. This study developed an electrochemical sensing platform based on single-walled carbon nanotube screen-printed electrodes, which can specifically detect the S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The detection is achieved by a concentration-dependent folding of a redox-tagged DNA aptamer, which reduces the electron transfer efficiency and suppresses the amperometric signal.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Foroogh Khozeymeh, Federico Melli, Sabrina Capodaglio, Roberto Corradini, Fetah Benabid, Luca Vincetti, Annamaria Cucinotta
Summary: This paper studies a novel platform for lab-in-fiber-based biosensors. Hollow-core tube lattice fibers (HC-TLFs) are proposed as a label-free biosensor for the detection of DNA molecules. By performing internal chemical functionalization of the fiber and comparing the transmission spectra before and after the flowing, the presence of a specific DNA sequence in the solution can be identified.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Daniele Di Iorio, Sharath Rameshbabu, Brigitte Bruijns, Jacopo Movilli, Maciej Skolimowski, Jurriaan Huskens
Summary: The production of a new class of microfluidic devices built from thermoplastic materials has recently aroused interest in a high-volume and cost-effective fabrication of sensing devices. A low-temperature, UV-light-free, and solvent-free bonding method for polymeric devices, based on poly-l-lysine (PLL) polymers modified with click-chemistry moieties, is presented in this study.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chiara Papi, Jessica Gasparello, Matteo Zurlo, Alex Manicardi, Roberto Corradini, Giulio Cabrini, Roberto Gambari, Alessia Finotti
Summary: The study found that targeting CFTR-regulating microRNAs with antisense PNAs can increase CFTR production. Particularly, highly effective combinations were identified with PNAs targeting miR-145-5p and miR-101-3p in the treatment of Calu-3 cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pierre Picchetti, Stefano Volpi, Marianna Rossetti, Michael D. Dore, Tuan Trinh, Frank Biedermann, Martina Neri, Alessandro Bertucci, Alessandro Porchetta, Roberto Corradini, Hanadi Sleiman, Luisa De Cola
Summary: The development of smart nanoparticles with responsive features has expanded the applications of NP-based drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic tools. By combining nucleic acid interactions and sol-gel chemistry, researchers have successfully incorporated synthetic nucleic acids into organosilica nanoparticles, enabling them to respond to various biological, physical, and chemical inputs.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jessica Gasparello, Chiara Papi, Matteo Zurlo, Stefano Volpi, Roberto Gambari, Roberto Corradini, Alessandro Casnati, Francesco Sansone, Alessia Finotti
Summary: One of the most promising approaches for gene regulation is the microRNA therapeutic method, which focuses on controlling the activity of microRNAs (miRNAs) that are dysregulated in diseases such as cancer. This can be achieved by inhibiting overexpressed miRNAs or restoring downregulated miRNAs using miRNA-mimics. The development of efficient and targeted vectors for delivering these molecules is a crucial topic in pharmacological modulation of miRNAs.
Article
Oncology
Jessica Gasparello, Chiara Papi, Matteo Zurlo, Laura Gambari, Alex Manicardi, Andrea Rozzi, Matteo Ferrarini, Roberto Corradini, Roberto Gambari, Alessia Finotti
Summary: Starting from a list of nine dysregulated miRNAs in early-stage CRC patients, the study verified the therapeutic effects of anti-miRNA PNAs targeting the most relevant up-regulated miRNAs. PNAs down-regulated these target miRNAs and induced apoptosis in CRC cellular models. Combining anti-miRNA PNAs with pro-apoptotic compounds like sulforaphane resulted in high levels of apoptosis induction.