Molecular diagnostics is a fast growing field with new technologies being developed constantly. There is a demand for more sophisticated molecular tools able to detect a multitude of molecules on a single molecule level with high specificity, able to distinguish them from other similar molecules. This becomes very important for infectious diagnostics with the increasing antibiotic resistant viruses and bacteria, in gene based diagnostics and for early detection and more targeted treatments of cancer. For increased sensitivity, simplicity, speed and user friendliness, novel readouts are emerging, taking advantage of new technologies being discovered in the field of nanotechnology.  This thesis, based upon four papers, examines two novel electrical readouts for amplified single molecule detection. Target probing is based upon the highly specific amplification technique rolling circle amplification (RCA). RCA enables localized amplification resulting in a long single stranded DNA molecule containing tandem repeats of the probing sequence as product. Paper I demonstrates sensitive detection of bacterial genomic DNA using a magnetic nanoparticles-based substrate-free method where as few as 50 bacteria can be detected. Paper II illustrates a new sensor concept based on the formation of conducting molecular nanowires forming a low resistance circuit. The rolling circle products are stretched to bridge an electrode gap and upon metallization the resistance drops by several orders of magnitude, resulting in an extremely high signal to noise ratio. Paper III explores a novel metallization technique, demonstrating the efficient incorporation of boranephosphonate modified nucleotides during RCA.  In the presence of a silver ion solution, defined metal nanoparticles are formed along the DNA molecule with high spatial specificity. Paper IV demonstrates the ability to manipulate rolling circle products by dielectrophoresis. In the presence of a high AC electric field the rolling circle products stretch to bridge a 10 µm electrode gap.

It is well known that cells in tissues display a large heterogeneity in gene expression due to differences in cell lineage origin and variation in the local environment at different sites in the tissue, a heterogeneity that is difficult to study by analyzing bulk RNA extracts from tissue. Recently, genome-wide transcriptome analysis technologies have enabled the analysis of this variation with single-cell resolution. In order to link the heterogeneity observed at molecular level with the morphological context of tissues, new methods are needed which achieve an additional level of information, such as spatial resolution. In this thesis I describe the development and application of padlock probes and rolling circle amplification (RCA) as molecular tools for spatially-resolved transcriptome analysis. Padlock probes allow in situ detection of individual mRNA molecules with single nucleotide resolution, visualizing the molecular information directly in the cell and tissue context. Detection of clinically relevant point mutations in tumor samples is achieved by using padlock probes in situ, allowing visualization of intra-tumor heterogeneity. To resolve more complex gene expression patterns, we developed in situ sequencing of RCA products combining padlock probes and next-generation sequencing methods. We demonstrated the use of this new method by, for the first time, sequencing short stretches of transcript molecules directly in cells and tissue. By using in situ sequencing as read-out for multiplexed padlock probe assays, we measured the expression of tens of genes in hundreds of thousands of cells, including point mutations, fusions transcripts and gene expression level. These molecular tools can complement genome-wide transcriptome analyses adding spatial resolution to the molecular information. This level of resolution is important for the understanding of many biological processes and potentially relevant for the clinical management of cancer patients. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-05-15Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:45:44Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 rocha_kcg_dr_botfca.pdf: 895303 bytes, checksum: cd87505fac20f9742a811226a9c1fc11 (MD5) / Considerando o aumento de begomovírus e mosca-branca no campo o presente trabalho teve como objetivos a detecção, a caracterização molecular e a análise da diversidade genética de begomovírus em pimentão e tomateiro em diferentes municípios do Estado de São Paulo: Piraju, Tejupá, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Pedro do Turvo, São Miguel Arcanjo, Itapetininga, Lins, Sabino, Timburí, Iacanga, Pirajuí, Avaí, Reginópolis e Salto; a identificação de biótipos de B. tabaci por meio da amplificação do gene mitocondrial (citocromo oxidase I - mtCOI) seguido de seqüenciamento ou RFLP utilizando a enzima Taq I e a avaliação para resistência de acessos de Capsicum spp. a dois isolados de ToSRV. A análise da variabilidade foi realizada por meio de seqüenciamento da região da capa protéica (DNA-A) com oligonucleotídeos universais e, paralelamente, as mesmas amostras foram testadas por amplificação por círculo rolante (RCA) sendo, posteriormente, clivadas com a enzima de restrição HpaII. Um total de 812 amostras foi analisado, sendo 709 de pimentão e 103 de tomate. Por PCR tradicional, foram detectadas positivas para presença de begomovírus 98 amostras provenientes de pimentão e 39 de tomateiro, e por RCA-PCR, foram 332 e 82 respectivamente, evidenciando maior sensibilidade desta técnica. Dessas amostras, foram seqüenciadas 39 de pimentão e 25 de tomateiro, verificando-se ocorrência prevalente da espécie ToSRV no estado de São Paulo. Infecção mista com ToSRV e ToYVSV foi observada tomateiro. Por RCA-RFLP, foram observados quatro padrões de clivagem com a enzima HpaII e todos foram confirmados como sendo da espécie ToSRV indicando variabilidade molecular intraespecífica. Para tomateiro, foram observados 18 padrões de restrição, dois idênticos aos verificados em plantas de pimentão indicando, possivelmente, infecção pelos mesmos isolados de ToSRV, porém... / Considering the high incidence of begomoviruses and the whitefly on the field, the objetives of this work were to analyze the genetic diversity of begomoviruses infecting pepper and tomato plants in different counties of São Paulo State: Piraju, Tejupá, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Pedro do Turvo, São Miguel Arcanjo, Itapetininga, Lins, Sabino, Timburí, Iacanga, Pirajuí, Avaí, Reginópolis and Salto; the identification of biotypes of B. tabaci through the amplification of the mitochondrial gene (cytochrome oxidase I) 4 followed by sequencing the gene or analysis by RFLP using the enzyme TaqI and the evaluation of Capsicum spp. for the resistance source for two isolates of ToSRV. The coat protein from the DNA A of the begomovirus was amplified and sequenced, and the same samples were amplified by rolling circle amplification (RCA) followed by analysis by RCA-RFLP using the HpaII enzyme. A total of 812 samples were analyzed, 709 from pepper and 103 from tomato. By PCR, 98 samples from pepper and 39 from tomato were positives for the presence of begomoviruses, while by RCA-PCR 332 and 82 respectively. Thirty-nine samples from pepper and 25 from tomato were sequenced indicating the prevalence of the ToSRV species in São Paulo State. Mixed infections with ToSRV and ToYVSV were found in tomato plants. By RCA-RFLP four restriction profiles were found for ToSRV in pepper plants. In tomato 18 profiles were observed: two identical as observed for ToSRV in pepper, indicating possible infection with the same ToSRV isolates, a profile for ToSRV and ToYVSV mixed infections and also different profiles for ToSRV isolates didn’t found in pepper plants. The sequencing of 17 samples of B. tabaci mitochondrial citochrome oxidase I gene and analysis by Taq I digestion of whiteflies collected in growers areas of pepper and tomato indicated only the presence of the B biotype... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

In this study a biosensor based on real time quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) monitoring is optimized and characterized for the application in the Norosensor. This biosensor is aimed to recognise, capture and amplify Norovirus (NoV). In an initial step a simplified bioassay was developed that focuses on the latter parts of the assay which consists of DNA-guided probing and amplification of the captured virus and includes the development of an amplification model assay directly to the functionalised crystal surface. A padlock probe with matching sequence to the conjugated oligonucleotide on the quartz crystal surface is used as target in the model assay. Although a number of studies have been carried out based on padlock probe ligation and rolling circle amplification (RCA) based QCM sensing, these studies utilize the entire crystal surface to capture and amplify the biomolecule. In this research work the QCM monitoring is explored on a centrally functionalised electrode surface through conjugation only at the centre of the electrode for increased mass sensitivity. Thus, allowing capture and amplification of the padlock probe only at the centre of the quartz crystal. A 14mm diameter, thermoncompensated AT-cut, nonpolished quartz crystal with a 10mm diameter gold surface coating acting as electrode was utilized for QCM measurements. The detection system is based on mass binding and amplification on the QCM to produce a negative frequency shift in the fundamental frequency of the vibrating quartz crystal. The amplification products were additionally fluorescently labelled and fluorescent microscopy images were also obtained at the end of every experiment to verify the presence or absence of DNA capture and amplification. Experimental findings show that the current flow chamber with a 15ul capacity is able to detect a specific padlock probe concentration of 1nM on a conjugated region of ~2.5mm diameter. RCA amplified the mass with an average frequency shift of -80Hz in 60mins RCA incubation time. Further, the specificity and sensitivity of the QCM system was explored. However, the system has limitations where sensor binding of reaction proteins, such as DNA ligase and BSA, to some extent is observed. The storage stability of the functionalized self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on the QCM is also observed to deteriorate and thus, is of concern. Nevertheless the combination of RCA based amplification with QCM real-time monitoring has the potential for rapid and simple, low cost detection of the Norovirus. / I det här arbetet har vi optimerat och karateriserat en biosensor för detektion av Norovirus som orsakar häftiga utbrott av kräksjuka under vinterhalvåret vilket leder till både försämrad vård samt stora ekonomiska förluster för samhället. Målet inom EU projektet “Norosensor” är att utveckla ett snabbtest som kan tillämpas efter ett utbrott på till exempel en vårdavdelning och som ska mäta mängden virus i luften vilket kan fungera som riktlinje för om en avdelning är säker att användas eller ej. Tekniskt är målet med testet att fånga in viruspartiklar från luften som specifikt binds till sensorytan. Därefter ökar vi känsligheten från bundna partiklar genom en DNA-baserad amplifiering. Detta genererar specifik, viruskorrelerad massa som mäts med en kvartskristall mikrovågs sensor. När massan ökar minskar frekvenser vid vilken kristallen vibrerar och detta mäts i realtid. Det här arbetet har inte behandlat infångande eller inbindning av virus utan har fokuserat på den senare delen av protokollet som omfattar amplifieringen på sensorytan. En modell-assay har därför utvecklats där viruspartikeln istället representeras av en så kallad “padlock probe” (hänglås probe). Då sensorn är mycket känslig har först olika protokoll testats för effektiv rengöring av ytan med hjälp av ultraljud. I nästa steg har ytan funktionaliserats med thiol-modifierade syntetiska DNA molekyler som används för infångningen av målmolekylen på sensorytan (virus eller i detta fall padlock proben). Det har tidigare uppskattats att för att få maximal känslighet i massmätningen så är det fördelaktigt att binda viruset endast i mitten på en mycket liten yta av kristallen. Den här avhandlingen har därför fokuserat på att utveckla protokoll för detta där ytan först funtionaliserats i mitten innan resten av ytan blockats för att undvika ospecific inbindning. Resultaten visar att vi kan generera en centrerad funtionalisering och att vi får låg ospecifik binding. Protokollet består av flera biokemiska reakionssteg såsom (i) inbindning och lingering av padlock probe och (ii) amplifiering av den ligerade proben genom “rolling circle amplification”. För att kunna verifiera att vi fått amplifieringsprodukter på ytan har vi dels mätt frekvensändringen på grund av ökad massa men också märkt in dem med fluorescerande molekyler och detekterat dem i microskop. Under arbetets gång har ett flertal olika typer av kristaller testats. Det visade sig att om en polerad yta används (1μm grovhet) så migrerade molekylerna iväg från mitten när vi oscillerade kristallen medan vi fick bättre resultat om något grövre (3μm) ytor användes. Vi testade även ett flertal olika flödesceller av olika material och med olika reaktionsvolymer. Eftersom kristallen är mycket känslig så påverkar faktorer som flödeshastigheter och eventuella luftbubblor frekvensen. Vi optimerade därför detta och körde mätningarna vi6konstant flöde men med alternerande, låga hastigheter när vi tillsatte nya reagens eller inkuberade reaktionerna. Vi förvärmde även reaktionsmixarna för att minska ospeficika effekter och konstaterade att den funktionaliserade ytan påverkades av lagring över tid. I våra försök såg vi att protein såsom ligeringsenzymet och albumin, vilka har förhållandevis stor massa, hade effekter på frekvensen redan i sig genom att binda till ytan. Ytterligare optimeringar måste därför göras framöver för att minska denna inbinding bland annat genom bättre tvättsteg. Vi kunde dock påvisa linjär massökning med ökad amplifieringstid och har bevisad hög specificitet. Slutligen utvecklades ett litet mjukvaruprogram för att automatisera analysen och minska bruset. Sammanfattingsvis har vi lyckats utveckla ett enkelt och snabbt system för specifik massamplifering av Norovirus.

Magnetic nanoparticles have great potential in the biomedical and diagnostics field. Due to their small size, the particles have a high surface-to-volume ratio which enables for biofunctionalisation with different molecular probes. This makes itpossible to target them against a wide variety of biomarkers. In this project, the aim was to develop a magnetic nanoparticle-based DNA detection method with respectto sensitivity by employing circle-to-circle amplification, which is an extension of rolling circle amplification, in order to increase the assay sensitivity. The method provides high specificity due to the use of padlock probes for amplification. The project included testing and optimising the protocol used for DNA amplification and detection with a synthetic target, which involved testing different padlock probes, incubation times and incubation temperatures. Lastly, the method was tested on a biological target. It has recently been shown that specific aggregation occurs between magnetic nanoparticles and DNA, which enables for a visual readout strategy sincethe aggregates are visible to the naked eye. Initial testing of the method yielded asensitivity of about 100 attomoles. The achieved sensitivity after the optimisation work was 1 attomole of both synthetic and biological DNA targets. This is an improvement compared to the 400 attomoles that has previously been reported with one round of rolling circle amplification. The results can be used in further development of the naked-eye DNA detection method towards the realisation of a commercially attractive bioanalytical device.

Rapid and high-sensitivity detections of biological analytes are critically important to ensure timely diagnosis of disease and effective monitoring of public health. Although various new biosensing platforms have been established as alternatives to conventional laboratory methods, most of these biosensing platforms suffer from insufficient sensitivities that severely limit their wide applications. To improve the detection sensitivities of these biosensors, surface modifications based on poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers and rolling circle amplification (RCA) have been proven to be effective methods. In this thesis, surface modification strategies based on PAMAM dendrimers and RCA have been applied on three biosensing platforms, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor chip, and affinity membrane, to improve their detection sensitivities. For the ELISA platform, glass-bottom and poly(styrene) 96-well plates are surface modified by dendrimer-aptamer conjugates to improve detection performances of human platelet-derived growth factor-BB using ELISA. The results show that the ELISA performed using the modified 96-well plates presents a much broader linear detection range and a significantly lower limit of detection (LOD) than conventional ELISA plates. For the LSPR platform, the dendrimer and aptamer modification strategy is employed to surface modify LSPR sensor chips for sensitive detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and an RCA-AuNPs complex is developed to amplify the detection signals. The results show that the modified chip can sensitively detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus with a LOD of 148 vp/mL, suggesting that the modified LSPR chip and signal amplification method can be used for early diagnosis of Covid-19. For the affinity membrane platform, nylon membranes with dendrimer and dual-RCA surface modifications are developed to detect Escherichia coli O157:H7 in food samples. The surface-modified membranes significantly reduce the detection time of the target bacteria to two hours instead of several days using traditional bacterial detection methods. In addition, the new membranes achieve higher sample throughputs (around 4-5 mL/s) with a lower LOD (10 cells/ 250 mL) in processing real-world food samples compared to other similar detection platforms. The excellent properties of our surface modification approaches may provide further advantages when employed in other platforms, such as target separation and enrichment, antifouling and antibacterial, and drug delivery applications.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(薬学) / 甲第24563号 / 薬博第861号 / 新制||薬||243(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院薬学研究科薬学専攻 / (主査)教授 髙倉 喜信, 教授 山下 富義, 教授 小野 正博 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(薬学) / 甲第23845号 / 薬博第852号 / 新制||薬||242(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院薬学研究科薬学専攻 / (主査)教授 髙倉 喜信, 教授 山下 富義, 教授 小野 正博 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

Improved diagnosis, prognosis and disease follow-up is a fundamental procedure and a constant challenge in medicine.  Among the different molecular biomarkers, proteins are the essential regulatory component in blood; hence, by developing enhanced specific and sensitive molecular tools will gives great insight into the different processes in disease treatment.  In this thesis, we build on the proximity ligation assay to develop and apply new adaptable methods to facilitate protein detection. In paper I, I present a variant of the proximity ligation assay (we call PLARCA) using micro titer plate for detection and quantification of protein using optical density as readout in the fluorometer. PLARCA detected femtomolar levels of these proteins in patient samples, which was considerably below the detection threshold for ELISA. In paper II, we developed and adapted a new method into the in situ PLA methods for detection and identification of extracellular vesicles (EVs) using flow cytometry as readout (a method we call ExoPLA).  We identified five target proteins on the surface of the Evs and using three colors, we identified the EV using flow cytometer. In paper III, we aim to improve the efficiency of in situ PLA by creating and developing new designs and versions of the assay we called Unfold probes Through comparison of detection of protein using in situ PLA versus Unfold probes, we observed considerable decrease in non-specific signals, and also a lower detection threshold. In paper IV, we describe the development of a solid phase proximity extension (sp-PEA) assay for protein detection and quantification. We compared detection of IL-8, TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IL-6 using spPEA and PEA; spPEA demonstrations over 2 orders of magnitudes in the lower detection concentrations by decreased in background noise.

Orientador: Renate Krause Sakate / Banca: Carlos Frederico Wilcken / Banca: Arlete Marchi Tavares de Melo / Banca: Marcelo Agenor Pavan / Banca: Antonio Carlos Maringoni / Resumo: Considerando o aumento de begomovírus e mosca-branca no campo o presente trabalho teve como objetivos a detecção, a caracterização molecular e a análise da diversidade genética de begomovírus em pimentão e tomateiro em diferentes municípios do Estado de São Paulo: Piraju, Tejupá, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Pedro do Turvo, São Miguel Arcanjo, Itapetininga, Lins, Sabino, Timburí, Iacanga, Pirajuí, Avaí, Reginópolis e Salto; a identificação de biótipos de B. tabaci por meio da amplificação do gene mitocondrial (citocromo oxidase I - mtCOI) seguido de seqüenciamento ou RFLP utilizando a enzima Taq I e a avaliação para resistência de acessos de Capsicum spp. a dois isolados de ToSRV. A análise da variabilidade foi realizada por meio de seqüenciamento da região da capa protéica (DNA-A) com oligonucleotídeos universais e, paralelamente, as mesmas amostras foram testadas por amplificação por círculo rolante (RCA) sendo, posteriormente, clivadas com a enzima de restrição HpaII. Um total de 812 amostras foi analisado, sendo 709 de pimentão e 103 de tomate. Por PCR tradicional, foram detectadas positivas para presença de begomovírus 98 amostras provenientes de pimentão e 39 de tomateiro, e por RCA-PCR, foram 332 e 82 respectivamente, evidenciando maior sensibilidade desta técnica. Dessas amostras, foram seqüenciadas 39 de pimentão e 25 de tomateiro, verificando-se ocorrência prevalente da espécie ToSRV no estado de São Paulo. Infecção mista com ToSRV e ToYVSV foi observada tomateiro. Por RCA-RFLP, foram observados quatro padrões de clivagem com a enzima HpaII e todos foram confirmados como sendo da espécie ToSRV indicando variabilidade molecular intraespecífica. Para tomateiro, foram observados 18 padrões de restrição, dois idênticos aos verificados em plantas de pimentão indicando, possivelmente, infecção pelos mesmos isolados de ToSRV, porém... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Considering the high incidence of begomoviruses and the whitefly on the field, the objetives of this work were to analyze the genetic diversity of begomoviruses infecting pepper and tomato plants in different counties of São Paulo State: Piraju, Tejupá, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Pedro do Turvo, São Miguel Arcanjo, Itapetininga, Lins, Sabino, Timburí, Iacanga, Pirajuí, Avaí, Reginópolis and Salto; the identification of biotypes of B. tabaci through the amplification of the mitochondrial gene (cytochrome oxidase I) 4 followed by sequencing the gene or analysis by RFLP using the enzyme TaqI and the evaluation of Capsicum spp. for the resistance source for two isolates of ToSRV. The coat protein from the DNA A of the begomovirus was amplified and sequenced, and the same samples were amplified by rolling circle amplification (RCA) followed by analysis by RCA-RFLP using the HpaII enzyme. A total of 812 samples were analyzed, 709 from pepper and 103 from tomato. By PCR, 98 samples from pepper and 39 from tomato were positives for the presence of begomoviruses, while by RCA-PCR 332 and 82 respectively. Thirty-nine samples from pepper and 25 from tomato were sequenced indicating the prevalence of the ToSRV species in São Paulo State. Mixed infections with ToSRV and ToYVSV were found in tomato plants. By RCA-RFLP four restriction profiles were found for ToSRV in pepper plants. In tomato 18 profiles were observed: two identical as observed for ToSRV in pepper, indicating possible infection with the same ToSRV isolates, a profile for ToSRV and ToYVSV mixed infections and also different profiles for ToSRV isolates didn't found in pepper plants. The sequencing of 17 samples of B. tabaci mitochondrial citochrome oxidase I gene and analysis by Taq I digestion of whiteflies collected in growers areas of pepper and tomato indicated only the presence of the B biotype... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor