title: QD-Based FRET Probes at a Glance.
abstract: The unique optoelectronic properties of quantum dots (QDs) give them significant advantages over traditional organic dyes, not only as fluorescent labels for bioimaging, but also as emissive sensing probes. QD sensors that function via manipulation of fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) are of special interest due to the multiple response mechanisms that may be utilized, which in turn imparts enhanced flexibility in their design. They may also function as ratiometric, or "color-changing" probes. In this review, we describe the fundamentals of FRET and provide examples of QD-FRET sensors as grouped by their response mechanisms such as link cleavage and structural rearrangement. An overview of early works, recent advances, and various models of QD-FRET sensors for the measurement of pH and oxygen, as well as the presence of metal ions and proteins such as enzymes, are also provided.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60607-7061, USA. ashami2@uic.edu.
authors.forename: Armen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shamirian
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60607-7061, USA. aashimag7@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Aashima
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghai
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60607-7061, USA. sneep@uic.edu.
authors.forename: Preston T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Snee
mesh_terms: D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D045663:Quantum Dots; D012666:Semiconductors
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes
keywords: Förster resonance energy transfer; optical sensors; photoluminescence; semiconductor quantum dots