A Reversible and Dynamic Surface Functionalization for Fluidity Controlled Multivalent Recognition of Lectins and
Thomas Hix-Janssens1, Adam Tillo1, Hanna Isaieva1
1Biofilms Research Center for Biointerfaces, Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health and Society, Malmö University, Malmö, 205 06, Sweden.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|April 26, 2025
Summary
Researchers designed reusable bacterial receptors using self-assembled monolayers. These mimic host cell ligands, effectively capturing bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa by targeting its LecA adhesin.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Surface Chemistry
- Microbiology
Background:
- Bacterial infections, particularly from multidrug-resistant strains like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, pose significant health challenges.
- Understanding bacterial adhesion mechanisms, such as the role of adhesins like LecA, is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
- Mimicking natural ligand display on host cells is a promising strategy for creating novel antibacterial surfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and characterize multivalent bacterial receptors using reversible self-assembled monolayers (rSAMs).
- To investigate the binding affinity of these receptors for the Pseudomonas aeruginosa adhesin, LecA.
- To demonstrate the ability of these functionalized surfaces to capture specific bacterial species.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of rSAMs on gold and glass substrates using binary amphiphile mixtures.
- Decoration of rSAMs with β-galactose (Gal) or sialic acid (SA) ligands.
- Incubation of functionalized surfaces with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and Streptococcus gordonii (SG) cultures.
- Comparison of bacterial capture efficiency between mobile ligand displays (rSAMs) and static ligand surfaces.
Main Results:
- rSAMs functionalized with Gal or SA demonstrated strong affinity for the bacterial adhesin LecA.
- Surfaces with mobile ligands showed significantly higher bacterial capture compared to those with static ligands.
- The rSAMs exhibited tunable ligand ratios, allowing for adaptable and reusable bacterial recognition surfaces.
- Successful capture of PA and SG bacteria was demonstrated on the Gal and SA functionalized rSAMs.
Conclusions:
- Reversible self-assembled monolayers offer a versatile platform for creating multivalent bacterial receptors.
- Mobile ligand display on rSAMs enhances affinity and specificity for bacterial adhesins like LecA.
- This wet chemical surface functionalization approach provides rapid restorability and adaptability for advanced biomaterial design.
