title: MMP2-sensing up-conversion nanoparticle for fluorescence biosensing in head and neck cancer cells.
abstract: Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have extensive biological-applications because of their bio-compatibility, tunable optical properties and their ability to be excited by infrared radiation. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in extracellular matrix remodelling; they are usually found to significantly increase during cancer progression, and these increases may lead to poor patient survival. In this study, we produced a biosensor that can be recognized by MMP2 and then be unravelled by the attached quencher to emit visible light. We used 3.5-nm gold nanoparticles as a quencher that absorbed emission from UCNPs at a wavelength of 540 nm. The biosensor consists of an upconversion nanoparticle, MMP2-recognized polypeptides and quenchers. Here, UCNPs consisting of NaYF4:Yb(3+)/Er(3+) were prepared via a high temperature co-precipitation method while protecting the oleic acid ligand. To improve the biocompatibility and modify the UCNPs with a polypeptide, they were coated with a silica shell and further conjugated with MMP-recognizing polypeptides. The polypeptide has two ends of featuring carboxylic and thiol groups that react with UCNPs and AuNPs, and the resulting nanoparticles were referred to as UCNP@p-Au. According to the in vitro cell viability analysis, UCNP@p-Au exhibited little toxicity and biocompatibility in head and neck cancer cells. Cellular uptake studies showed that the MMP-based biosensor was activated by 980-nm irradiation to emit green light. This MMP-based biosensor may serve as sensitive and specific molecular fluorescent probe in biological-applications.
authors.affiliation: Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yung-Chieh
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chieh-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Hsien
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Chan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Min
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan; Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Dentistry, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Li-Hsing
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.affiliation: Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hui-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yuan-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Applied Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan; Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 116, Taiwan. Electronic address: dptsai@phys.ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Din Ping
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan; Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan; Research Center for Applied Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan; Department of Mechanical Engineering and Graduate Institute of Manufacturing Technology, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan. Electronic address: rsliu@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Ru-Shi
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan. Electronic address: mhsiao@gate.sinica.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hsiao
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D006046:Gold; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; C522361:MMP2 protein, human; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2
keywords: Gold; Head and neck cancer; MMP2; UCNP