Diversity-directed sensors

Figure 6-8 Lead sensor candidates, H22 and GTP Green, for glutathione and GTP, respectively, derived from diversity-directed sensor discovery approaches.

Materials research has been influencing the direction and diversity of sensor research. Novel semiconductor and superconductor materials have led to new and more efficient transducers. Advances in biotechnology have also resulted in a broader range of enzymes and monoclonal antibodies for use in biosensors. Examples for utilizing tissue and microbes in biosensors include the use of tomatoes, eggplant, grapes, horseradish, parsley, and Antarctic krill in electrochemical biosensors. The logic is that the active component (usually an enzyme) is protected by... 

In my experience, even the first-year graduate students taking this course do not have sufficient knowledge of diverse areas. For that reason, appendices have been included as a quick reference. It is strongly recommended that the non-chemistry students review Appendices A and B, before starting on Chapters 1-3, and the non-physically oriented students review Appendices C and D before Chapter 4 and further. The reader will find discussion on why some sensors work or do not, or even cannot, work. It is not a book that will direct the student to the specific type of sensor for a specific compound. There are plenty of modern search engines that allow retrieval of such information. This book is about principles. 

The most recently identified class of transcription attenuation mechanism involves direct sensing of the effector molecule by the nascent transcript (52-54). These RNA sensors control metabolically diverse pathways. As for the other attenuation and antitermination mechaiusms discussed thus far, recognition of the particular effector molecule occurs with the appropriate affinity and high specificity required for precise control of gene expression. 

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