Efficient and rapid cell surface functionalization: a sub-minute selenol-yne click reaction for bioconjugation

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Chemical Biology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Cell surface engineering is vital for improving cell functionality and therapeutic applications.
• Existing conjugation methods often lack efficiency and can be complex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an efficient and rapid method for cell surface functionalization.
• To demonstrate the versatility of the new method for attaching various payloads and applications.

Main Methods:

• Development of the selenol-yne click (SYC) reaction for covalent cell surface modification.
• Application of SYC for conjugating fluorescent molecules, particles, and polymers to HeLa, B16-OVA, and Jurkat T cells.
• Utilizing SYC for cell surface glycosylation in vitro and in vivo (zebrafish).

Main Results:

• SYC reaction achieved highly efficient conjugation of diverse molecules and particles onto various cell types.
• Drug-loaded particles attached to cells demonstrated effective targeted drug delivery.
• Cell surface glycosylation via SYC modulated cell-cell interactions and immune responses.
• Successful in vivo glycosylation in zebrafish highlights potential for in vivo applications.

Conclusions:

• The SYC reaction provides a fast, efficient, and versatile platform for cell surface engineering.
• This method has broad applicability in areas such as targeted drug delivery and immunomodulation.
• The demonstrated in vivo capability opens new avenues for therapeutic cell modifications.