Quantum dots provide a new functional platform for bioanalytical sciences and biomedical engineering. Therefore, it is feasible to use QD labeling to improve the FP technique for detection of tumor biomarkers in patient sera [24, 25]. If micromolecular antigens are adopted, FP assays can also be used to analyze the interaction of the PRIMA-1MET supplier antigen

and its antibody. Herein, we reported a CdTe quantum dot-based method to screen rapidly antigenic epitopes. All possible antigenic epitopes from hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen protein were predicted, and the antigenicity of peptide was determined by analyzing the recognition and combination of peptide and standard antibody samples using the FP technique. Subsequently, the immunodominant epitopes of HBV surface antigen in click here Chinese people VX-661 research buy with positive anti-HBV surface antigen were screened using the same method. Besides, the application of the obtained dominant antigenic peptides in detecting anti-HBV surface antibody was also investigated

by FP assay. Methods Peptide sequence design Candidate peptides were designed based on the predicted results of epitope analysis programs: the second structure of the HBV surface antigen protein sequences (UniProtiKB/Swiss-Prot: Q913A6) was predicted by the Chou-Fasman method [26], the flexible regions were analyzed by the Karplus-Schulz method [27], the hydrophilic regions were predicted by the Kyte-Doolittle method [28], the surface probability was analyzed by the Emini method [29], the antigenic index was analyzed by the Jameson-Wolf method

[30], and the antigenic determinants were predicted by the Kolaskar-Tongaonkar method [3]. selleck compound After comparing these multiple-parameter assay results, 11 amino acid fragments from the HBV surface antigen protein were chosen as possible epitopes. These peptides are summarized in Table 1. Table 1 Designed antigenic peptide sequences from HBV surface antigen protein No. of peptides Amino acid sequences Location in HBV surface antigen protein 1 TNLSVPNPLGFFPDHQLDP 14 to 32 2 NKVGVGA 56 to 62 3 PHGGLLGW 70 to 77 4 QAQGLLTTVPAAPP 80 to 93 5 PTPFSPPLRD 105 to 114 6 QDSRVRALYLPA 132 to 143 7 SSGTVSPAQNTVSAISSI 147 to 164 8 GGTPACPG 217 to 224 9 SQISSHSPTCCPPICPGYRW 229 to 248 10 STGPCKTCTT 291 to 300 11 MFPSCCCT 307 to 314 Synthesis of antigenic peptides All peptides were synthesized on 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin (1.6 mmol/g) using the standard solid-phase method of 9-fluorenylmethoxy carbonyl (Fmoc) chemistry [31]. Peptides were produced on a 0.2-mmol scale, and Fmoc-preactivated amino acids as pentafluorophenyl esters were used for the coupling reactions in the presence of hydroxybenzotriazole (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO, USA) in dimethylformamide (DMF). Excess amino acids were used throughout the synthesis. Chain elongation reaction was performed followed by Fmoc deprotection in 20% piperidine in DMF.