On-Cell Catalytic Detection of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition by a Clusterzyme Bioprobe

We construct a peptide-conjugated metal cluster as an enzyme-like catalytic bioprobe to enhance quantitative analysis of a membrane protein biomarker and detect epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of tumor cells. This bioprobe with atomically precise formula, termed clusterzyme, possesses selective recognition and intrinsic enzymelike activity. These favorable features facilitate sensitive quantitative analysis of the membrane protein in situ through on-cell catalytic signal amplification. This clusterzymebased analytical method exhibits excellent compatibility with a traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and improved detection sensitivity with accuracy and robustness. Further, the expression level of the membrane protein reflects the ability of migration and invasion of model tumor cells, revealing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition process. This work offers a facile and sensitive approach to monitor tumor cell type evolution at the molecular level, demonstrating a potential application of early cancer diagnosis and therapy assessment.

Automated summary

We have developed a peptide-conjugated metal cluster probe for quantitative analysis of a membrane protein biomarker and detection of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in tumor cells. This probe, called clusterzyme, has selective recognition and enzyme-like activity, allowing sensitive analysis of the membrane protein on cells. This method is compatible with traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and offers improved detection sensitivity and accuracy. The expression level of the membrane protein reflects the migration and invasion ability of tumor cells, revealing the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition process. This work provides a simple and sensitive approach to monitor tumor cell type evolution at the molecular level, with potential applications in early cancer diagnosis and therapy assessment.