title: Multifunctional Polymer Ligand Interface CdZnSeS/ZnS Quantum Dot/Cy3-Labeled Protein Pairs as Sensitive FRET Sensors.
abstract: High-quality CdZnSeS/ZnS alloyed core/thick-shell quantum dots (QDs) as energy donors were first exploited in Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) applications. A highly efficient ligand-exchange method was used to prepare low toxicity, high quantum yield, stabile, and biocompatible CdZnSeS/ZnS QDs densely capped with multifunctional polymer ligands containing dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA). The resulting QDs can be applied to construct QDs-based Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) systems by their high affinity interaction with dye cyanine 3 (Cy3)-labeled human serum albumin (HSA). This QD-based FRET protein complex can serve as a sensitive sensor for probing the interaction of clofazimine with proteins using fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. The ability of FRET imaging both in vitro and in vivo not only reveals that the current FRET system can remain intact for 2 h but also confirms the potential of the FRET system to act as a nanocarrier for intracellular protein delivery or to serve as an imaging probe for cancer diagnosis.
authors.forename: Hong Yu
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine and Center for Molecular and Cellular Imaging, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute , Seoul 135-710, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Moon-Sun
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine and Center for Molecular and Cellular Imaging, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute , Seoul 135-710, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Heeyeop
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: Doo Sung
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7979-7459
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: CdZnSeS/ZnS QDs; QDs-based FRET; clofazimine; in vivo imaging; sensor