Fabrication of self-assembled protein A monolayer and its application as an immunosensor

The self-assembled layer of modified protein A was fabricated. In order to modify protein A, the surface group of protein A was substituted with thiol (-SH) functionality by using N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate (SPDP) and dithiothreitol (DTT). The formation of a self-assembled protein A layer on a Au substrate and its increased binding capacity to antibody were confirmed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy. The surface structure of self-assembled protein A layer, and the binding status of anti-bovine serum albumin (anti-BSA) and BSA were determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Treatment on the self-assembled protein A layer with a detergent, such as Tween 20, increased the binding capacity of anti-BSA, because protein A aggregation was reduced significantly by the detergent; this was confirmed by SPR spectroscopy. The self-assembled layer of chemically modified protein A with enhanced binding capacity can be used for immunosensor fabrication.