title: Quantum dots-fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based nanosensors and their application.
abstract: Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) in combination with quantum dots (QDs) and their superior properties has enabled designing of the new and improved sensors. In this review, the latest novelties in development and application of FRET nanosensors employing QDs are presented. QDs offer several advantages over organic dyes - broad excitation spectra, narrow defined tunable emission peak, longer fluorescence lifetime, resistance to photobleaching and 10-100 times higher molar extinction coefficient. These properties of QDs allow multicolor QDs to be excited from one source by common fluorescent dyes without emission signal overlap and results in brighter probes comparing to conventional fluorophores. Due to these benefits, QD-FRET-based nanosensors gained a wide spread popularity in a variety of scientific areas. These sensors are most frequently applied in the domain of the nucleic acid and enzyme activity detection. Other applications are detection of peptides and low-molecular compounds, environmental pollutants, viruses, microorganisms and their toxins, QD-FRET-based immunoassays, and pH sensors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, CZ-613 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stanisavljevic
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, CZ-613 00 Brno, Czech Republic; Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3058/10, CZ-616 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Sona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krizkova
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, CZ-613 00 Brno, Czech Republic; Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3058/10, CZ-616 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Marketa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaculovicova
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, CZ-613 00 Brno, Czech Republic; Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3058/10, CZ-616 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kizek
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, CZ-613 00 Brno, Czech Republic; Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3058/10, CZ-616 00 Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: vojtech.adam@mendelu.cz.
authors.forename: Vojtech
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Adam
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer / Q000295:instrumentation*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D045663:Quantum Dots; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000295:instrumentation*
keywords: Enzyme; Fluorescence resonance energy transfer; Nucleic acid; Quantum dots; Sensor