Observation of the protein expression level via naked eye: Pt clusters catalyze non-color molecules into brown-colored molecules in cells

alpha (v) beta (3) is overexpressed in various tumor cells and plays a key role in tumor genesis, invasion, and metastasis. Therefore, it is of great significance to precisely detect the alpha (v) beta (3) level in cells via a simple method. For this purpose, we have constructed a peptide-coated platinum (Pt) cluster. Due to its bright fluorescence, well-defined Pt atom numbers, and peroxidase-like catalytic activity, this cluster can be used to evaluate alpha (v) beta (3) levels in cells by fluorescence imaging, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and catalytic amplification of visual dyes, respectively. In this report, the expression level of alpha (v) beta (3) in living cells is well-detected by the naked eye under an ordinary light microscope when the Pt cluster binds to alpha v beta 3 in cells and catalyzes non-color 3,3 & PRIME;-diaminobenzidine (DAB) into brown-colored molecules in situ. Moreover, SiHa, HeLa, and 16HBE cell lines with different alpha (v) beta (3) expression levels can be visually distinguished by the peroxidase-like Pt clusters. This research will provide a reliable method for the simple detection of alpha (v) beta (3) levels in cells.

Automated summary

Alpha (v) beta (3) is overexpressed in tumor cells and plays a key role in tumor progression. Detecting its levels accurately is significant. A peptide-coated platinum cluster provides a reliable method to evaluate alpha (v) beta (3) levels in cells through various techniques. By binding to the receptor, the Pt cluster catalyzes color change, enabling visual detection of alpha (v) beta (3) expression levels in living cells and differentiation of cell lines with different expression levels.