Monovalent, reduced-size quantum dots for imaging receptors on living cells.

Journal article

We describe a method to generate monovalent quantum dots (QDs) using agarose gel electrophoresis. We passivated QDs with a carboxy-terminated polyethylene-glycol ligand, yielding particles with half the diameter of commercial QDs, which we conjugated to a single copy of a high-affinity targeting moiety (monovalent streptavidin or antibody to carcinoembryonic antigen) to label cell-surface proteins. The small size improved access of QD-labeled glutamate receptors to neuronal synapses, and monovalency prevented EphA3 tyrosine kinase activation.

Authors: Howarth, M; Liu, W; Puthenveetil, S; Zheng, Y; Marshall, L

• Journal: Nature methods
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 397-399
• Publication date: 2008-05-01
• DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1206
• EISSN: 1548-7105
• ISSN: 1548-7091
• Language: English
• Keywords: Staining and Labeling; Synapses; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Animals; Fluorescent Dyes; Cells; Nanotechnology; Ligands; Cells, Cultured; Receptors, Glutamate; Polyethylene Glycols; Rats; Cell Survival; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; Receptors, Cell Surface; Streptavidin; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Quantum Dots