Localization of ganglioside GM1 in cholinergic neurons from the septal area of a primary culture newborn rat brain was studied with a double avidin-biotin complex system. Cholinergic neurons were identified by double immunolabeling techniques that use choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and neurofilament (NF) protein-antibodies. ChAT-positive neurons also were stained for ganglioside GM1 by using ...

Bradavidin is a tetrameric biotin-binding protein similar to chicken avidin and bacterial streptavidin, and was originally cloned from the nitrogen-fixing bacteria Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens. We have previously reported the crystal structure of the full-length, wild-type (wt) bradavidin with 138 amino acids, where the C-terminal residues Gly129-Lys138 ("Brad-tag") act as an intrinsic ligand ...

Responsive or smart contrast agents (SCAs) provide new opportunities in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine a number of physiological and pathological events. However, their application in vivo remains challenging. Therefore, much research is focused on the optimization of their properties, to enable their use in additional imaging modalities, pre-targeted delivery, or to increase the l...

This paper presents highly sensitive fluorescence detections of avidin and streptavidin using an optical interference mirror (OIM) slide consisting of a plane mirror covered with an optical interference layer. Compared with a common glass slide, the OIM slide can enhance the fluorescence from a dye by more than 100-fold. We fabricated an OIM slide by depositing an optical interference layer o...

Human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease/redox effector factor 1 (APE1) is an essential DNA repair protein. Herein, we demonstrate that avidin-oriented abasic site-containing DNA strands (AP-DNA) on the surface of silica coated magnetic nanoparticles (SiMNP) can selectively respond to APE1 while resist the digestion by other nucleases. Mechanism studies have revealed that avidin may serve as an...

We describe a general method for incorporating target ligands into the surface of biocompatible polyester poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) 50/50 materials using fatty acids. Avidin-fatty acid conjugates were prepared and efficiently incorporated into PLGA. Avidin was chosen as an adaptor protein to facilitate the attachment of a variety of biotinylated ligands. We show that fatty acid prefe...

The avidin protein family members are well known for their high affinity towards D-biotin and high structural stability. These properties make avidins valuable tools for a wide range of biotechnology applications. We have identified a new member of the avidin family in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) genome, hereafter called zebavidin. The protein is highly expressed in the gonads of both male and ...

We recently reported that the oxidized avidin, named AvidinOX®, resides for weeks within injected tissues as a consequence of the formation of Schiff's bases between its aldehyde groups and tissue protein amino groups. We also showed, in a mouse pre-clinical model, the usefulness of AvidinOX for the delivery of radiolabeled biotin to inoperable tumors. Taking into account that AvidinOX is the f...

A general method for the selective retrieval of surface labeled plasma membrane components had been devised. The basis of the technique is the covalent attachment of compounds containing 2-iminobiotin, the cyclic guanidino analog of biotin, onto the cell surface proteins and the use of immobilized avidin to recover the labeled components uncontaminated by other cytosolic and membrane components...

Screening combinatorial libraries of conformationally constrained peptides against macromolecular targets is utilized in identifying novel drug leads and in developing new reagents for chemical biology. In methods such as phage-display selections, biotinylated macromolecular targets are often immobilized on avidin- and streptavidin-functionalized supports. Thus, the characterization of peptides...