A Glycopolymer Sensor Array That Differentiates Lectins\nand Bacteria

Identification of\nbacterial lectins offers an attractive route\nto the development of new diagnostics, but the design of specific\nsensors is complicated by the low selectivity of carbohydrate–lectin\ninteractions. Here we describe a glycopolymer-based sensor array which\ncan identify a selection of lectins with similar carbohydrate recognition\npreferences through a pattern-based approach. Receptors were generated\nusing a polymer scaffold functionalized with an environmentally sensitive\nfluorophore, along with simple carbohydrate motifs. Exposure to lectins\ninduced changes in the emission profiles of the receptors, enabling\nthe discrimination of analytes using linear discriminant analysis.\nThe resultant algorithm was used for lectin identification across\na range of concentrations and within complex mixtures of proteins.\nThe sensor array was shown to discriminate different strains of pathogenic\nbacteria, demonstrating its potential application as a rapid diagnostic\ntool to characterize bacterial infections and identify bacterial virulence\nfactors such as production of adhesins and antibiotic resistance.