A Biosensor Uses Rotary F0F1-ATP Motor


Jiachang Yue

National Labortory of Biomacromolecules, Institue of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China

e-mail: yuejc@sun5.ibp.ac.cn

 

Biosensors are molecular sensors that combine a biological recognition mechanism with a physical transduction technique. They provide a new class of inexpensive, portable instruments that permit sophisticated analytical measurements to be performed rapidly at decentralized locations. However, the adoption of biosensors for practical applications other than the measurement is currently limited by its expense, insensitivity, and inflexibility of the available transduction methods. We developed a biosensor technique in which the rotary F0F1-ATP motor is the recognition site. Its biological sensory functions will be described. It may be used in a wide range of applications including cell typing, the detection of large proteins, viruses, antibodies, DNA, drugs, pesticides and other low-molecular-weight compounds.