{"title":"SpyTag/SpyCatcher-based Self-Assembly Multivalent Anti-idiotypic Nanobody Mediated Environmentally Friendly Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Mycotoxin Zearalenone","authors":"Yuanzhen Guo, Chong Cai, Xinyu Xu, Xiao Wu, Minwen Sun, Tailong Wei, Yujie Shi, Yubin Liu, Zhui Tu, Yanping Li, Qinghua He","doi":"10.1016/j.snb.2025.138885","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Anti-idiotypic nanobodies (AIdnbs) are attractive as biosynthetic surrogate antigens due to their batch consistency, high tolerance and eco-friendly production. However, monomeric AIdnbs suffer from low immobilization efficiency and weak signal response on nitrocellulose filter (NC) membranes in lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA). To address this, we developed a self-assembly multivalent AIdnb system using the zearalenone (ZEN)-specific AIdnb Z6 as a model. We fused SpyTag or SpyCatcher to Z6 via flexible (GS) or semi-rigid (EK) linkers, then assembled bivalent Z6 through SpyTag/SpyCatcher and heptavalent Z6 via SpyTagged IMX313 scaffolds. EK-linked Z6-fusions consistently exhibited superior activity compared with GS-linked fusions due to the superior conformation for antibody binding of EK-linked variants. Adsorption kinetics and LFIA detection demonstrated the superior NC membranes’ immobilization efficiency and analytical performance of multivalent Z6 to monovalent Z6. The EK-linked bivalent Z6 demonstrated optimal performance in time-resolved microspheres-based LFIA, achieving a detection limit of 32.44<!-- --> <!-- -->pg/mL for ZEN in 15<!-- --> <!-- -->minutes, which is 4.7-fold lower than monovalent formats, along with a 4.5-fold broader detection range. Notably, this detection sensitivity surpassed conventional chemically synthesized antigens, achieving a 2.5-fold improvement. Furthermore, Maize, wheat and oat were tested as real samples, detection limits were 1.31–1.94<!-- --> <!-- -->µg/kg for the bivalent Z6-based LFIA, and 1.62–2.12<!-- --> <!-- -->µg/kg for heptavalent Z6-based LFIA. This study establishes a generalizable strategy for engineering high-performance multivalent biosynthetic antigens, enabling sensitive, eco-friendly LFIA for small-molecule detection.","PeriodicalId":425,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical","volume":"92 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2025.138885","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Anti-idiotypic nanobodies (AIdnbs) are attractive as biosynthetic surrogate antigens due to their batch consistency, high tolerance and eco-friendly production. However, monomeric AIdnbs suffer from low immobilization efficiency and weak signal response on nitrocellulose filter (NC) membranes in lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA). To address this, we developed a self-assembly multivalent AIdnb system using the zearalenone (ZEN)-specific AIdnb Z6 as a model. We fused SpyTag or SpyCatcher to Z6 via flexible (GS) or semi-rigid (EK) linkers, then assembled bivalent Z6 through SpyTag/SpyCatcher and heptavalent Z6 via SpyTagged IMX313 scaffolds. EK-linked Z6-fusions consistently exhibited superior activity compared with GS-linked fusions due to the superior conformation for antibody binding of EK-linked variants. Adsorption kinetics and LFIA detection demonstrated the superior NC membranes’ immobilization efficiency and analytical performance of multivalent Z6 to monovalent Z6. The EK-linked bivalent Z6 demonstrated optimal performance in time-resolved microspheres-based LFIA, achieving a detection limit of 32.44 pg/mL for ZEN in 15 minutes, which is 4.7-fold lower than monovalent formats, along with a 4.5-fold broader detection range. Notably, this detection sensitivity surpassed conventional chemically synthesized antigens, achieving a 2.5-fold improvement. Furthermore, Maize, wheat and oat were tested as real samples, detection limits were 1.31–1.94 µg/kg for the bivalent Z6-based LFIA, and 1.62–2.12 µg/kg for heptavalent Z6-based LFIA. This study establishes a generalizable strategy for engineering high-performance multivalent biosynthetic antigens, enabling sensitive, eco-friendly LFIA for small-molecule detection.
期刊介绍:
Sensors & Actuators, B: Chemical is an international journal focused on the research and development of chemical transducers. It covers chemical sensors and biosensors, chemical actuators, and analytical microsystems. The journal is interdisciplinary, aiming to publish original works showcasing substantial advancements beyond the current state of the art in these fields, with practical applicability to solving meaningful analytical problems. Review articles are accepted by invitation from an Editor of the journal.