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A novel use of water‐soluble CdSe Quantum Dots capped with GSH for Minute Virus of Mice prototype genome labeling
Author(s) -
Rivera Joel,
Arroyo Shirley Ann,
DiffootCarlo Nanette
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2019.33.1_supplement.635.18
Subject(s) - fluorescence , quantum dot , viral envelope , biophysics , chemistry , particle (ecology) , aqueous solution , glycoprotein , conjugated system , nanotechnology , materials science , biochemistry , biology , ecology , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , polymer
Viruses can infect the host's cell through different mechanisms. Nevertheless, studies have shown that the viral entry pathway more common of viruses that affect humans is the interaction between glycoproteins of the envelope with receptors in the host's cell membrane. For many years, studies have tried to use fluorescent proteins to understand the mechanisms of a single viral particle, but it has not been effective because in order to emit fluorescence, strong enough to be detected, the viral particle must have many of the fluorescent proteins attached and these can alter the invasion of the host cell. Additionally, some do not have an envelope, and therefore for these types of viruses, the fluorescent proteins are not effective. To solve this problem, we are substituting fluorescent proteins for quantum dots (QDs). These QDs are made from different inorganic compounds that have shown to produce more fluorescence than the protein without requiring the use of many of them. This means that these QDs can help study the mechanisms of infection of a single viral particle. These particles are unstable in aqueous solution, and it can cause the production of toxic molecules for the cell. This obstacle has led new research in how one can modify the synthesis or the compound to make a more stable and effective QDs. In this research, we used a proposed protocol for the synthesis of QDs in a direct aqueous solution to obtain a more stable particle. Additionally, to make the QDs more stable for biological applications, we conjugated glutathione (GSH) to these particles. The GSH allowed the QDs to enter the cell and interact with the genome of the virus used for this study, the minute virus of mice (MVMp). Furthermore, we used the cell line MDA‐MB‐231 as a model to test our experimental approach. This study will help better understand the mechanisms of infection of a single MVMp particle. Additionally, it will open doors to study how this particle can be conjugated with other molecules such as DNA and encapsulated for gene therapy of different diseases. Support or Funding Information Financial support from the NIH RISE‐E‐BASE program grant number 1R25GM127191‐01. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .