A combined SPS-LCD sensor for screening protease specificity

摘要

A hydrogel-based sensor for screening protease specificity has been developed that combines the versatility of solid-phase synthesis (SPS) with the simplicity of liquid crystal display (LCD) technology. Proteases constitute an estimated 2-3% of the mammalian proteome and catalyse a myriad of fundamental biological processes. Proteases hydrolyse peptide bonds with substrate specificities defined by their preference for particular amino acid residues flanking the scissile peptide bond. Due to their central biological role they are important in many disease states, such as cancer, HIV and Hepatitis C, which makes them important targets for the pharmaceutical industry.rnGiven the medical and commercial importance of proteases, versatile screening and detection methods are required. Recent advances in this field have relied on fluorimetric detection, such as microarrays and FRET-based quantum-dot-peptide conjugates, or colorimetric detection, for example the dispersion of peptide-functionalised nanoparticle aggregates.