Proteins At Solid Liquid Interfaces

Proteins at Solid-Liquid Interfaces

This book opens with a description of fundamental aspects of protein adsorption to surfaces, a phenomenon that plays a key role in biotechnological applications, especially at solid-liquid interfaces. Presented here are methods for studying adsorption kinetics and conformational changes such as optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS). Also described are sensitive bench techniques for measuring the orientation and structure of proteins at solid-liquid interfaces, including total internal reflection ellipsometry (TIRE), dual polarisation interferometry (DPI) and time of flight - secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF–SIMS). A model study of fibronectin at polymer surfaces is included, as are studies using microporous membranes and textiles with immobilized enzymes for large-scale applications. Biocompatibility, anti-fouling properties and surface modification to modulate the adsorption and activity of biomolecules are among the other topics addressed in this invaluable book.

The Behavior of Proteins at Solid-liquid Interfaces

The behavior of a protein molecule at the solid-liquid interface is a worthy scientific problem for at least three reasons. The main driving force for studying this problem is a practical one, as many areas of bio-related technologies, such as medical implants, biosensing, and drug delivery, require the understanding of protein-surface interactions. In this dissertation, the nature of the precursive weakly adsorbed state of proteins during binding is reviewed. From this perspective, the adsorption and binding of proteins to a solid block copolymer thin film was achieved with regular spacing. Further efforts produced a monolayer of green fluorescent protein (GFP) covalently bound with regular spacing and orientation to a diblock copolymer thin film. This protein could be folded and refolded by changing solvent characteristics. We also explored the binding of DC-SIGN to mannose and mannotriose bearing lipid membranes. While no binding was observed, the usefulness of the lipid-based glycan microarray was proven using the well-studied CTB-GM1 binding motif.

Proteins at Solid-liquid Interfaces