MRPG: Real-Time Biosensor Using FRET on Microbeads.
This study is designed to develop biosensor systems suitable for detecting tagged proteins on bead surfaces. The principle of FRET (flourescence resonance energy transfer) is applied. While there are other methods available for the detection of fluorescent proteins, the advantage of this approach over the existing ones lies in its reversibility and generalizability, without the need of soluble components. The potential of its usefulness is very broad. The specific aims are to establish the conditions needed to observe analyte-mediated, reversible FRET between tethered components on beads and to examine a selection of ligand-receptor pairs on beads, thus establishing the ligand-receptor requirements for a sensor.
