Protein-modified nanocrystalline diamond thin films for biosensor applications

Diamond exhibits several special properties, for example good biocompatibility and a large electrochemical potential window, that make it particularly suitable for biofunctionalization and biosensing. Here we show that proteins can be attached covalently to nanocrystalline diamond thin films. Moreover, we show that, although the biomolecules are immobilized at the surface, they are still fully functional and active. Hydrogen-terminated nanocrystalline diamond films were modified by using a photochemical process to generate a surface layer of amino groups, to which proteins were covalently attached. We used green fluorescent protein to reveal the successful coupling directly. After functionalization of nanocrystalline diamond electrodes with the enzyme catalase, a direct electron transfer between the enzyme's redox centre and the diamond electrode was detected. Moreover, the modified electrode was found to be sensitive to hydrogen peroxide. Because of its dual role as a substrate for biofunctionalization and as an electrode, nanocrystalline diamond is a very promising candidate for future biosensor applications.     

Covalent attachment of osmium complexes to glucose oxidase and the application of the resulting modified enzyme in an enzyme switch responsive to glucose

Pyridine-based osmium complexes bearing either a carboxylate or aldehyde group were covalently attached to glucose oxidase and were shown to work as mediators for the reoxidation of the enzyme. For the complex containing the carboxylate group, the binding was made through carbodiimide coupling to the amine residues in the protein. For the complex containing the aldehyde group, the reductive coupling was carried out by condensation with the amino groups on the protein in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride. Electrochemical studies show evidence for both intramolecular and intermolecular redox mediation for the electrochemical reoxidation of the modified glucose oxidases in the presence of glucose. The modified enzymes adsorbed on glassy carbon and platinum show different electrochemical responses for the two electrode materials, suggesting that orientation of the adsorbed enzyme is induced due to the interaction of the osmium complex with the different surfaces. Construction of enzyme switches based on these modified enzymes was carried out, and their responses were compared with those obtained using native glucose oxidase and a soluble redox mediator.     

Electron-transfer studies with a new flavin adenine dinucleotide dependent glucose dehydrogenase and osmium polymers of different redox potentials

A new extracellular flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent glucose dehydrogenase from Glomerella cingulata (GcGDH) was electrochemically studied as a recognition element in glucose biosensors. The redox enzyme was recombinantly produced in Pichia pastoris and homogeneously purified, and its glucose-oxidizing properties on spectrographic graphite electrodes were investigated. Six different Os polymers, the redox potentials of which ranged in a broad potential window between +15 and +489 mV versus the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE), were used to immobilize and "wire" GcGDH to the spectrographic graphite electrode's surface. The GcGDH/Os polymer modified electrodes were evaluated by chronoamperometry using flow injection analysis. The current response was investigated using a stepwisely increased applied potential. It was observed that the ratio of GcGDH/Os polymer and the overall loading of the enzyme electrode significantly affect the performance of the enzyme electrode for glucose oxidation. The best-suited Os polymer [Os(4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine)(2)(PVI)Cl](+) had a potential of +309 mV versus NHE, and the optimum GcGDH/Os polymer ratio was 1:2 yielding a maximum current density of 493 μA·cm(-2) at a 30 mM glucose concentration.     

Preparation of biocatalytic nanofibres with high activity and stability via enzyme aggregate coating on polymer nanofibres

We have developed a unique approach for the fabrication of enzyme aggregate coatings on the surfaces of electrospun polymer nanofibres. This approach employs covalent attachment of seed enzymes onto nanofibres consisting of a mixture of polystyrene and poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride), followed by a glutaraldehyde (GA) treatment that cross-links additional enzyme molecules and aggregates from the solution onto the covalently attached seed enzyme molecules. These cross-linked enzyme aggregates, covalently attached to the nanofibres via the linkers of seed enzyme molecules, are expected to improve the enzyme activity due to increased enzyme loading, and also the enzyme stability. To demonstrate the principle, we coated α-chymotrypsin (CT) on nanofibres electrospun from a mixture of polystyrene and poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride). The initial activity of CT-aggregate-coated nanofibres was nine times higher than nanofibres with just a layer of covalently attached CT molecules. The enzyme stability of CT-aggregate-coated nanofibres was greatly improved with essentially no measurable loss of activity over a month of observation under rigorous shaking conditions. This new approach of enzyme coating on nanofibres, yielding high activity and stability, creates a useful new biocatalytic immobilized enzyme system with potential applications in bioconversion, bioremediation, and biosensors.     

Uricase-catalyzed oxidation of uric acid using an artificial electron acceptor and fabrication of amperometric uric acid sensors with use of a redox ladder polymer.

Electrochemical oxidation of uric acid catalyzed by uricase (uric acid oxidase, UOx; EC 1.7.3.3) was studied using several redox compounds including 5-methylphenazinium (MP) and 1-methoxy-5-methylphenazinium (MMP) as electron acceptors for UOx, which does not contain any redox cofactor. It was found that MP and MMP were useful to mediate electrons from UOx to an electrode in the enzymatic oxidation of uric acid. A novel redox polymer, poly(N-methyl-o-phenylenediamine)(poly-MPD), containing the MP units was also found to possess the mediation ability for UOx, and poly-MPD was immobilized together with UOx onto an electrode substrate covered with a self-assembled monolayer of 2-aminoethanethiolate with use of glutaraldehyde as a binding agent. The resulting electrode (poly-MPD/UOx/Au) exhibited amperometric responses to uric acid with very fast response of approximately 30 s, allowing reagentless amperometric determination in a concentration range covering that in the blood of a healthy human being. Kinetic parameters of the apparent Michaelis constant and the maximum current response obtained at the poly-MPD/UOx/Au suggested that electrochemical oxidation of uric acid was controlled by diffusion of uric acid into the enzyme film and that the redox polymer worked well in mediating between active sites of UOx molecules and the electrode substrate.     

Cross-linked redox gels containing glucose oxidase for amperometric biosensor applications

Oxidoreductases, such as glucose oxidase, can be electrically "wired" to electrodes by electrostatic complexing or by covalent binding of redox polymers so that the electrons flow from the enzyme, through the polymer, to the electrode. We describe two materials for amperometric biosensors based on a cross-linkable poly(vinylpyridine) complex of [Os-(bpy)2Cl]+2+ that communicates electrically with flavin adenine dinucleotide redox centers of enzymes such as glucose oxidase. The uncomplexed pyridines of the poly(vinylpyridine) are quaternized with two types of groups, one promoting hydrophilicity (2-bromoethanol or 3-bromopropionic acid), the other containing an active ester (N-hydroxysuccinimide) that forms amide bonds with both lysines on the enzyme surface and with an added polyamine cross-linking agent (triethylenetetraamine, trien). In the presence of glucose oxidase and trien this polymer forms rugged, cross-linked, electroactive films on the surface of electrodes, thereby eliminating the requirement for a membrane for containing the enzyme and redox couple. The glucose response time of the resulting electrodes is less than 10 s. The glucose response under N2 shows an apparent Michaelis constant, Km' = 7.3 mM, and limiting current densities, jmax, between 100 and 800 microA/cm2. Currents are decreased by 30-50% in air-saturated solutions because of competition between O2 and the Os(III) complex for electrons from the reduced enzyme. Rotating ring desk experiments in air-saturated solutions containing 10 mM glucose show that about 20% of the active enzyme is electrooxidized via the Os(III) complex, while the rest is oxidized by O2. These results suggest that only part of the active enzyme is in electrical contact with the electrode.     

Peroxidase model electrodes: heme peptide modified electrodes as reagentless sensors for hydrogen peroxide

A peroxidase model electrode was devised for reagentless sensing of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). A small model molecule, which mimics the vicinity of the reaction center of a redox enzyme, can communicate electrochemically with an electrode. Heme nonapeptide (MW congruent to 1600) having peroxidase activity was adopted as a peroxidase model compound and was covalently immobilized on a tin oxide (SnO2) electrode as a roughly monomolecular layer. The modified electrode thus obtained responded to H2O2 at concentrations down to 10(-6) M without electron mediator or promoter, at a mild potential of +150 or +300 mV vs Ag/AgCl. In a batch system, the response reached a steady state in a few seconds. Measurements were possible also in a flow system with an assay time of 0.5-1.0 min/sample. The steady-state response of the electrode was kinetically analyzed.     

Redox polymer and probe DNA tethered to gold electrodes for enzyme-amplified amperometric detection of DNA hybridization

The detection of nucleic acids based upon recognition surfaces formed by co-immobilization of a redox polymer mediator and DNA probe sequences on gold electrodes is described. The recognition surface consists of a redox polymer, [Os(2,2'-bipyridine)2(polyvinylimidazole)(10)Cl](+/2+), and a model single DNA strand cross-linked and tethered to a gold electrode via an anchoring self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of cysteamine. Hybridization between the immobilized probe DNA of the recognition surface and a biotin-conjugated target DNA sequence (designed from the ssrA gene of Listeria monocytogenes), followed by addition of an enzyme (glucose oxidase)-avidin conjugate, results in electrical contact between the enzyme and the mediating redox polymer. In the presence of glucose, the current generated due to the catalytic oxidation of glucose to gluconolactone is measured, and a response is obtained that is binding-dependent. The tethering of the probe DNA and redox polymer to the SAM improves the stability of the surface to assay conditions of rigorous washing and high salt concentration (1 M). These conditions eliminate nonspecific interaction of both the target DNA and the enzyme-avidin conjugate with the recognition surfaces. The sensor response increases linearly with increasing concentration of target DNA in the range of 1 x 10(-9) to 2 x 10(-6) M. The detection limit is approximately 1.4 fmol, (corresponding to 0.2 nM of target DNA). Regeneration of the recognition surface is possible by treatment with 0.25 M NaOH solution. After rehybridization of the regenerated surface with the target DNA sequence, >95% of the current is recovered, indicating that the redox polymer and probe DNA are strongly bound to the surface. These results demonstrate the utility of the proposed approach.     

Photosystem I (PSI)/Photosystem II (PSII)‐Based Photo‐Bioelectrochemical Cells Revealing Directional Generation of Photocurrents

Layered assemblies of photosystem I, PSI, and/or photosystem II, PSII, on ITO electrodes are constructed using a layer‐by‐layer deposition process, where poly N,N′‐dibenzyl‐4,4′‐bipyridinium (poly‐benzyl viologen, PBV²⁺) is used as an inter‐protein “glue”. While the layered assembly of PSI generates an anodic photocurrent only in the presence of a sacrificial electron donor system, such as dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP)/ascorbate, the PSII‐modified electrode leads, upon irradiation, to the formation of an anodic photocurrent (while evolving oxygen), in the absence of any sacrificial component. The photocurrent is generated by transferring the electrons from the PSII units to the PBV²⁺ redox polymer. The charge‐separated species allow, then, the injection of the electrons to the electrode, with the concomitant evolution of O₂. A layered assembly, consisting of a PSI layer attached to a layer of PSII by the redox polymer PBV²⁺, leads to an anodic photocurrent that is 2‐fold higher, as compared to the anodic photocurrent generated by a PSII‐modified electrode. This observation is attributed to an enhanced charge separation in the two‐photosystem assembly. By the further nano‐engineering of the two photosystems on the electrode using two different redox polymers, vectorial electron transfer to the electrode is demonstrated, resulting in a ca. 6‐fold enhancement in the photocurrent. The reversed bi‐layer assembly, consisting of a PSII layer linked to a layer of PSI by the PBV²⁺ redox polymer, yields, upon irradiation, an inefficient cathodic current. This observation is attributed to a mixture of photoinduced electron transfer reactions of opposing effects on the photocurrent directions in the two‐photosystem assembly.     

A nucleic acid biosensor for gene expression analysis in nanograms of mRNA

An ultrasensitive nucleic acid biosensor for direct detection of genes in mRNA extracted from animal tissues is described. It is based on amperometric detection of a target gene by forming an mRNA/redox polymer bilayer on a gold electrode. The mRNA was directly labeled with cisplatin-biotin conjugates through coordinative bonds with purine bases in the mRNA molecules. A subsequent binding of glucose oxidase-avidin conjugates to the labeled mRNA and the introduction of a poly(vinylimidazole-co-acrylamide) partially imidazole-complexed with [Os(bpy)(2)(im)] (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, im = imidazole) redox polymer overcoating to the electrode allowed for electrochemical detection of the oxidation current of glucose in solution. Depending on individual genes, detection limits of subfemtograms were achieved. As compared to a sandwich-type assay, the sensitivity was improved by as much as 25-fold through the incorporation of multiple enzyme labels to the mRNA molecules. Less than 2-fold gene expression difference was unambiguously differentiated in as little as 5.0 ng of mRNA. With the greatly improved sensitivity, at least 1000-fold more sensitive than fluorescence-based techniques, the amount of mRNA needed in the assay was cut down from microgram to nanogram levels.     

Assembling of redox proteins on Au(111) surfaces: A scanning probe microscopy investigation for application in bio-nanodevices

The morphology and conductive properties of azurin molecules, chemically attached to sulfhydryl terminated alkanethiol monolayer assembled on Au(111) surface, are mapped at single molecule level and compared with those observed for the same molecule immobilised on bare Au(111). High-resolution Tapping Mode Atomic Force Microscopy shows that the protein molecules immobilised on modified gold, better reproduces the crystallographic height of the protein, than that immobilised on bare gold. Such a height recovering is also found in the Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy images. Consistently, a good tunnelling conduction of azurins on the modified gold electrode is demonstrated by Tunnelling Spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry measurements show, in addition, that the redox activity of azurin molecules covalently immobilised on sulfhydryl functionalised Au(111) surface is retained. These results are discussed in connection with possible use of this linker in the assembling of nano-hybrid systems.     

Detection of electrochemical enzymatic reactions by surface plasmon resonance measurement

We describe the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) detection of an enzymatic turnover reaction and the measurement of glucose concentration using a multienzyme layer modified gold electrode. We constructed an osmium redox polymer mediated enzyme sensor on a gold thin-film electrode and monitored electrochemical reaction by SPR measurement. Unlike the usual binding assay with SPR, here we used SPR to detect the redox state of an electron mediator that was the result of the electron-transfer reaction of sequential enzymatic reactions. Therefore, the degree of refractive index change was independent of the dielectric property of the substrate and enzymatic molecular recognition was converted to refractive index change with amplification. For the quantitative evaluation of glucose with this method, we used chronopotentiometry and a linear relation was obtained between the glucose concentration and the rate of refractive index change.     

LC-Biosensor System for the Determination of the Neurotoxin β-N-Oxalyl-l-α,β-diaminopropionic Acid

An analysis system is described for the determination of the neurotoxin β-N-oxalyl-l-α,β-diaminopropionic acid (β-ODAP). The system is based on liquid chromatographic separation of β-ODAP from interfering amino acids on an anion exchange column coupled with an amperometric enzyme electrode for the registration of β-ODAP. The electrode is based on a graphite rod modified with an Os(2+/3+) redox polymer cross-linked with l-glutamate oxidase and horseradish peroxidase. This LC-bienzyme electrode analytical system enabled monitoring of as low as 4 μM β-ODAP (injection volume 100 μL). The β-ODAP content in real grass pea samples was measured to range between 3.3 and 5.2 g kg(-)(1) in dry grass pea.     

Laser interference pattern ablation of a carbon fiber microelectrode: biosensor signal enhancement after enzyme attachment

Fluorescence microscopy was used to visualize the accumulated fluorescent product of the enzyme alkaline phosphatase to indicate where active covalently bound enzyme remained on the surface after application of a Nd: YAG laser interference pattern to a surface that was first globally derivatized with the covalently bound enzyme. The electrochemical kinetics of the same carbon fiber surface were examined through the electrogenerated chemiluminescence of Ru(bpy)(3)2+ to determine that electron-transfer sites were indeed segregated from the enzyme-binding sites. The enzyme-derivatized areas are determined to be separate and distinct from the areas of enhanced electron transfer. Two other enzymes, glucose oxidase and malic dehydrogenase, were then covalently bound to carbon fiber microelectrode surfaces in order to verify the change in detection limit of their respective cofactors, NADH or H2O2, under a variety of surface conditions. The S/N of an enzyme-modified electrode after laser interference pattern photoablation and electrocatalytic treatment is improved by more than 1 order of magnitude over that observed at an electrode that is globally enzyme modified.     

Amperometric determination of hydrogen peroxide by functionalized carbon nanotubes through EDC/NHS coupling chemistry

The electrochemistry of the redox mediator Toluidine blue (TB) which was covalently linked to the carboxyl group of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by coupling reactions, in which N-hydroxysuccinimide was used to assist 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride catalyzed amidation reaction is described. The results from cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometry suggested that the redox mediator is linked to the surface of the MWNTs and the nanotubes showed an obvious promotion for the direct electron-transfer between the redox mediator and the electrode. A couple of well-defined redox peak of TB was observed in a phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.0). The redox mediator immobilized to MWNTs exhibits remarkable electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The analytical applicability of the modified electrode for the determination of hydrogen peroxide was examined. A linear response in the concentration range of 6.8 x 10(-7)-3.4 x 10(-2) M (r = 0.9958) was obtained with detection limit of 3.4 x 10(-7) M for the determination of hydrogen peroxide. The modified electrode has advantages of being highly stable, sensitive, ease of construction and use.     

Amperometric biosensors based on redox polymer-carbon nanotube-enzyme composites

Based on their size and unique electrical properties, carbon nanotubes offer the exciting possibility of developing ultrasensitive, electrochemical biosensors. In this study, we describe the construction of amperometric biosensors based on the incorporation of single-walled carbon nanotubes modified with enzyme into redox polymer hydrogels. The composite films were constructed by first incubating an enzyme in a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNTs) solution and then cross-linking within a poly[(vinylpyridine)Os(bipyridyl)(2)Cl(2+/3+)] polymer film. Incorporation of SWNTs, modified with glucose oxidase, into the redox polymer films resulted in a 2-10-fold increase in the oxidation and reduction peak currents during cyclic voltammetry, while the glucose electrooxidation current was increased 3-fold to approximately 1 mA/cm(2) for glucose sensors. Similar effects were also observed when SWNTs were modified with horseradish peroxidase prior to incorporation into redox hydrogels.     

Detection of approximately 10(3) copies of DNA by an electrochemical enzyme-amplified sandwich assay with ambient O(2) as the substrate

The electrochemical sandwich-type, enzyme-amplified assay of Zhang, Kim, and Heller (Anal. Chem. 2003, 75, 3267-3269) was simplified by replacing the amplifying horseradish peroxidase with bilirubin oxidase (BOD). BOD catalyzes the reduction of ambient O(2) to water and obviates the need for adding H(2)O(2). Femtomolar (10(-)(15) M) concentrations of DNA were detected at a 10-microm-diameter tip of a carbon fiber electrode. Correspondingly, a few thousand copies of DNA were detected in approximately 5-microL samples. The sandwich is formed in an electron-conducting redox hydrogel, to the polymer of which a DNA capture sequence is bound. Capture of the analyte DNA and its hybridization with a BOD-labeled complementary DNA sequence, electrically connects the BOD label to the electron-conducting redox polymer, which is in electrical contact with the electrode. Placing the BOD in contact with the redox polymer thus converts the noncatalytic base layer into a catalyst for the electroreduction of O(2) to water at +0.12 V (vs Ag/AgCl) (Figure 1). In an exemplary assay, approximately 3000 copies of the iron transporting sequence of the sit gene of Shigella flexneri were detected without PCR amplification.     

Nanothin ferrocene film plasma polymerized over physisorbed glucose oxidase: high-throughput fabrication of bioelectronic devices without chemical modifications

We describe a method for creating a mediator-containing interface between an enzyme and an electrode, achieving simpler and more reliable immobilization of the enzyme with the enhanced detection sensitivity. A nanothin polymer film containing a redox mediator, made of dimethylaminomethylferrocene, was plasma-deposited directly onto a glucose oxidase-physisorbed electrode, with which a relevant bioelectrochemical signal was observed without prior or further chemical modification of the enzyme molecules. The results of the surface characterizations before and after the enzyme immobilization showed that this method gave control over the spatial orientation of single enzyme molecules in favor of efficient and reproducible signal generation. Considering that the film deposition was performed using microfabrication-compatible organic plasma, our new method has a great potential of enabling high-throughput production of bioelectronic devices without chemical modification steps.     

Chemiluminescence of luminol catalyzed by electrochemically oxidized ferrocenes

Ferrocenes oxidized at an indium tin oxide-coated glass electrode catalyze the chemiluminescent reaction of luminol with hydrogen peroxide. The catalytic reaction has been studied with ferrocene derivatives in solution and covalently attached to ovalbumin adsorbed on the electrode. It is shown that chemiluminescence is initiated by electrochemical oxidation of the ferrocene derivative.     

Enzyme-amplified amperometric sandwich test for RNA and DNA.

A one-step enzyme-amplified amperometric sandwich hybridization test for RNA and DNA is described. The test utilizes a carbon electrode, modified with a film of co-electrodeposited avidin and redox polymer; the redox polymer electrically "wiring" horseradish peroxidase (HRP) reaction centers upon contact. The film is made specific for the particular RNA or DNA sequence tested by conjugating its avidin with a biotinylated oligonucleotide, complementary to the assayed sequence. This oligonucleotide-modified redox polymer film, prepared prior to the test, forms the base of the sandwich. The center layer of the sandwich, added in the test, is the analyte RNA or DNA; its top is a second complemetary oligonucleotide, which is HRP-labeled, and is cohybridized in the test. The test consists of mixing the analyte DNA or RNA solution, the HRP-labeled oligonucleotide solution, and a hydrogen peroxide solution, immersing the base-layer carrying electrode applying a potential of 0 V versus Ag/AgCl, and measuring the H2O2 electroreduction current. Completion of the sandwich brings the HRP label into electrical contact with the redox polymer, converting the nonelectrocatalytic base layer into an electrocatalyst for the electroreduction of H2O2 to water. Flow of H2O2 electroreduction current when the electrode is poised near Ag/AgCl potential indicates the presence of the analyte RNA or DNA. The current density for the maximally sandwich-covered electrode was 250 microA cm(-2), exceeding more than a 100-fold the current density flowing upon nonspecific binding of the HRP-labeled oligonucleotide. High concentrations of irrelevant DNA and diluted serum did not interfere with the assay. When the electrodes were rotated in order to make the solution-phase mass transport rapid, the test was completed in approximately 30 min. The test was applied in probing for the presence of a 60-base E. coli mRNA sequence.