Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Conjugated to Quantum Dot®s is Biologically Functional

Autor: Vrathasha Vrathasha, Anja Nohe, Daniel Halloran, Hilary W Durbano
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Nanomaterials
Volume 10
Issue 6
Nanomaterials, Vol 10, Iss 1208, p 1208 (2020)
ISSN: 2079-4991
DOI: 10.3390/nano10061208
Popis: Quantum Dot®
s (QDot®
s) are novel, semi-conductive nanostructures that emit a certain fluorescence when excited by specific wavelengths. QDot®
s are more photostable, brighter, and photobleach less than other fluorescent dyes. These characteristics give them the potential to be used in many biological applications. The shells of QDot®
s are coated with functional groups, such as carboxylate and organic groups, allowing them to couple to peptides/proteins and be used for real-time imaging and high-resolution microscopy. Here, we utilize Quantum Dot®
s and Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (BMP-2) to create a BMP-2-QDot®
s conjugate. BMP-2 is a growth factor that drives many processes such as cardiogenesis, neural growth, and osteogenesis. Despite its numerous roles, the trafficking and uptake of BMP-2 into cells is not well-established, especially during progression of diseases. The results presented here demonstrate for the first time a fluorescent BMP-2 analog that binds to the BMP-receptors (BMPRs), remains biologically active, and is stable for long time periods. Previous attempts to develop a biological BMP-2 analog with Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) or nanodiamonds lacked data on the analog&rsquo
s stability. Furthermore, these analogs did not address whether they can signal within the cell by binding to the BMPRs or were mediated by non-stable conjugates.
Databáze: OpenAIRE