Immobilization of Firefly Luciferase on PVA-<i>co</i>-PE Nanofibers Membrane as Biosensor for Bioluminescent Detection of ATP

Abstract

The bioluminescent reaction catalyzed by firefly luciferase has become widely established as an outstanding analytical system for assay of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). When in solution, the luciferase is unstable and cannot be reused. The problem can be partially solved by immobilizing the luciferase on solid substrates. The poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene) (PVA-co-PE) nanofibers membrane has abundant active hydroxyl groups on the surface. The PVA-co-PE nanofibers membrane was first activated by cyanuric chloride with triazinyl group. Then the activated PVA-co-PE nanofibers membrane was subsequently reacted with 1,3-propanediamine and biotin. The firefly luciferase was immobilized onto the surface of 1,3-propanediamine- and biotin-functionalized membranes. The surface chemical structure and morphologies of nanofibers membranes were characterized by FTIR-ATR spectra and SEM. The hydrophilicity of membranes was tested by water contact angle measurements. The detection of fluorescence intensity displayed that the firefly-luciferase-immobilized PVA-co-PE nanofibers membranes indicated high catalytic activity and efficiency. Especially, the firefly-luciferase-immobilized nanofiber membrane which was functionalized by biotin can be a promising candidate as biosensor for bioluminescent detection of ATP because of its high detection sensitivity.