title: Direct conjugation of semiconductor nanocrystals to a globular protein to study protein-folding intermediates.
abstract: In this Article, we study the development of semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots of average diameter less than 2 nm) directly conjugated to a transporter protein human serum albumin (HSA) as fluorescent biological labels. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the amino acid tryptophan (Trp214) to quantum dot in HSA is monitored to follow the local and global changes in the protein structure during thermal unfolding and refolding processes. This study is likely to attract widespread attention as a powerful tool for the study of protein folding.
authors.affiliation: Unit for Nano Science & Technology, Department of Chemical, Biological & Macromolecular Sciences, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block JD, Sector III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 098, India.
authors.forename: Rupa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.forename: S Shankara
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Narayanan
authors.forename: Lars-Olof
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Pålsson
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monkman
authors.forename: Samir Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Pal
mesh_terms: D019187:Cadmium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D006801:Humans; D017510:Protein Folding; D045663:Quantum Dots; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013440:Sulfides / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D012709:Serum Albumin; D013440:Sulfides; C034939:cadmium sulfide