Using bifunctional polymers presenting vancomycin and fluorescein groups to direct anti-fluorescein antibodies to...

This paper describes the synthesis of bifunctional polyacrylamides containing pendant vancomycin (Van) and fluorescein groups, and the use of these polymers to direct antibodies against fluorescein to self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) presenting d-alanine-d-alanine (dAdA) groups. These polymers bind biospecifically to these SAMs via interactions between the dAdA and Van groups and serve as a molecular bridge between the anti-fluorescein antibodies and the SAM. The binding events were characterized using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. The paper demonstrates that polyvalent, biospecific, noncovalent interactions between a polymer and a surface can be used to tailor the properties of the surface in molecular recognition. It also represents a first step toward the design of polymers that direct arbitrarily chosen antibodies to the surfaces of cells.