PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Liquid crystal (LC) biosensors have received significant attention for their potential applications for point-of-care devices due to their sensitivity, low cost, and easy read-out. They have been employed to detect a wide range of important biological molecules. However, detecting the function of membrane proteins has been extremely challenging due to the difficulty of integrating membrane proteins, lipid membranes, and LCs into one system. In this study, we addressed this challenge by monitoring the proton-pumping function of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) using a pH-sensitive LC thin film biosensor. To achieve this, we deposited purple membranes (PMs) containing a 2D crystal form of bRs onto an LC-aqueous interface. Under light, the PM patches changed the local pH at the LC-aqueous interface, causing a color change in the LC thin film that is observable through a polarizing microscope with crossed polarizers. These findings open up new opportunities to study the biofunctions of membrane proteins and their induced local environmental changes in a solution using LC biosensors.
摘要：
液晶（LC）生物传感器由于其灵敏度而在即时护理设备中的潜在应用受到了广泛关注，低成本,和容易读出。它们已被用于检测广泛的重要生物分子。然而,由于整合膜蛋白的困难，检测膜蛋白的功能一直是极具挑战性的，脂质膜，和LC成一个系统。在这项研究中,我们通过使用pH敏感的LC薄膜生物传感器监测细菌视紫红质（bR）的质子泵功能来解决这一挑战。为了实现这一点，我们将含有2D晶体形式的bRs的紫色膜（PM）沉积在LC-水性界面上。在灯光下，PM贴片改变了LC-水界面的局部pH值，在LC薄膜中引起颜色变化,其可通过具有交叉偏振器的偏振显微镜观察到。这些发现为使用LC生物传感器研究膜蛋白的生物功能及其诱导的局部环境变化开辟了新的机会。
