Neoglycoconjugates as affinity ligands in surface plasmon resonance analysis

Neoglycoconjugates, i.e. de novo synthesized conjugates of glycosides and carrier molecules such as proteins or polylipids, were used as affinity ligands in a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor assay. The affinity of the glycoconjugates, normally in the lower affinity range, was influenced by increasing the number of glycosides bound per carrier protein, the coupling chemistry, and the assay temperature. As a model system, albumin-conjugated Aand B-active blood group oligosaccharides with suitable linker molecules were chosen. Specific monoclonal antibodies were used as analytes to verify the interactive performance. Affinity kinetics of the systems were evaluated from the SPR biosensor data. The results demonstrate that neoglycoconjugates are a good alternative in presenting affinity ligands of small, specific molecules in SPR-based assays with retained specificity and bioavailability.