Quantum Dot-Antibody Conjugates for Immunofluorescence Studies of Biomolecules and Subcellular Structures

Versatile Prepolymer Platform for Controlled Tailoring of Quantum Dot Surface Properties

“…These aspects depend critically on reliable surface engineering to regulate the chemical properties of functional groups and charges. 55 Notably, QD−antibody conjugates obtained from commercial sources often exhibit inconsistent labeling efficiency or aggregation. 56 This inconsistency may be attributed, in part, to the lack of a reliable method to create QD-based probes in a robust and reproducible manner.…”

“…More importantly, most existing QD-based labeling predominantly targets protein markers on the cell surface, which are comparatively more accessible than cytosolic proteins. 55 The densely packed and complex nature of the cytosol environment, coupled with the diverse array of biomolecules within it, poses challenges for effective QD delivery and potential off-target interactions. We have leveraged the exceptional stability and biocompatibility of the PIL design, along with precise control over the chemical composition on the QD surface using the PPFPA strategy, to produce high-quality QD probes with minimal nonspecific binding.…”

“…Although QD-based immunofluorescence has been established, challenges remain in improving the detection efficiency, accuracy, and stability. These aspects depend critically on reliable surface engineering to regulate the chemical properties of functional groups and charges . Notably, QD–antibody conjugates obtained from commercial sources often exhibit inconsistent labeling efficiency or aggregation .…”

“…This inconsistency may be attributed, in part, to the lack of a reliable method to create QD-based probes in a robust and reproducible manner. More importantly, most existing QD-based labeling predominantly targets protein markers on the cell surface, which are comparatively more accessible than cytosolic proteins . The densely packed and complex nature of the cytosol environment, coupled with the diverse array of biomolecules within it, poses challenges for effective QD delivery and potential off-target interactions.…”

A robust and versatile host–guest peptide toolbox for developing highly stable and specific quantum dot-based peptide probes for imaging extracellular matrices and cells

“…26,27 Antibodies, antibody mimetic peptides (AMPs), and other targeting molecules have been explored to modify hydrophilic QDs aimed at constructing more specific probes. [28][29][30] Electrostatic attraction has been utilized to non-covalently conjugate QDs with antibodies, whose easy susceptibility to the external environment resulted in the detachment of antibodies from the QDs and the loss of specificity. 31,32 Crosslinking agents have recently been employed to facilitate covalent interaction between QDs and antibodies; however, the inescapable selfcrosslinking of QDs and antibodies frequently leads to precipitation as well as the concealment of antigen-binding sites.…”