(Invited) Glycopolymer-Wrapped Carbon Nanotubes for Profiling Carbohydrate-Protein Interactions

Abstract

Stable dispersions of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by biopolymers in an aqueous environment facilitate their potential biological and biomedical applications. Synthetic glycopolymers – polymers with carbohydrate pendant groups – have been used extensively to mimic the functions of naturally occurring glycoconjugates. In this work, we created water soluble glycopolymer-wrapped SWCNTs (Glyco-SWCNTs) via noncovalent complexation utilizing lactose-containing polymers with various carbohydrate densities and chain lengths. Subsequently, Glyco-SWCNT complexes are utilized as near-infrared fluorescent probes to detect multivalent interactions between carbohydrates and carbohydrate-binding proteins. These SWCNT-based fluorescent probes can be potentially utilized for profiling targeted carbohydrate-protein interactions in complicated biological samples and in vivo analysis.