Goldilocks Energy Minimum: Peptide-Based Reversible Aggregation and Biosensing.

ABSTRACT: Colorimetric biosensors based on gold nanoparticle (AuNP) aggregation are often challenged by matrix interference in biofluids, poor specificity, and limited utility with clinical samples. Here, we propose a peptide-driven nanoscale disassembly approach, where AuNP aggregates induced by electrostatic attractions are dissociated in response to proteolytic cleavage. Initially, citrate-coated AuNPs were assembled via a short cationic peptide (RRK) and characterized by experiments and simulations. The dissociation peptides were then used to reversibly dissociate the AuNP aggregates as a function of target protease detection, i.e., main protease (M^pro), a biomarker for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The dissociation propensity depends on peptide length, hydrophilici

SUBMITTER: Yim W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10619458 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature