A dual-functional probe for quantification and imaging of intracellular telomerase

作者：Li, Xiaoting; Chen, Beibei; He, Man; Hu, Bin^*

来源：Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical , 2018, 277: 164-171.

DOI：10.1016/j.snb.2018.09.014

• Telomerase
• Quantification
• ICP-MS
• Elemental tags
• Imaging

The analysis of telomerase is of great significance for the study and diagnosis of cancer. In this work, a dualfunctional Au NP probe for the quantification and imaging of intracellular telomerase was prepared. The probe contained an elemental tag (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-tris-acetic acid (Tb-DOTA)) for accurate quantification using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a fluorescent tag (FAM) which constructed the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) system with Au NPs for fluorescence imaging. After the probe entered into the Hela cells, the telomerase primer was extended with TTAGGG repeats in the presence of the intracellular telomerase, resulting in turning on the fluorescence of FAM and releasing the TbDOTA. Thus, the intracellular telomerase could be in situ visualized by the released FAM with fluorescence imaging and quantified by the released Tb-DOTA with ICP-MS detection. The average amount of telomerase in one Hela cell was quantified to be 3.1x10(-11) IU. The proposed method was demonstrated with good potential in the study of telomerase and the cancer diagnosis, providing a new strategy for the analysis of intracellular biomarkers by ICP-MS.

• 出版日期2018-12-20
• 单位武汉大学