Quantum dot bioconjugates: emerging tools with great potential to study protein interactions and dynamics by FRET Online publication date: Tue, 30-Sep-2014
by Eva M. Galvez, Julian Pardo
International Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IJBNN), Vol. 2, No. 1, 2011
Abstract: Methods based on fluorescence technology have been widely employed to analyse protein function, dynamics, interactions and folding in cell free systems as well as in intact cells. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a unique technique to precisely calculate inter- and intra-molecular distances in proteins and thus to study protein-protein/peptide interaction, folding and conformational changes. However detailed studies of these processes at the single molecule level and/or in intact cells, requires fluorescence dyes with high stability and quantum yield. During the last six years fluorescent nanocrystals (quantum dots) have been developed as potent and promising fluorescence dyes that fulfil the prerequisites to study protein function in FRET based assays. It is the aim of this short review to summarise the benefits and drawbacks of QDs in the study of protein function and dynamics in biological systems.
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IJBNN):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:
Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.
If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com
Our Blog 
Follow us on Twitter 
Visit us on Facebook