Skip to main content
Advertisement
Browse Subject Areas
?

Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field.

For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click here.

  • Loading metrics

Quick and Label-Free Detection for Coumaphos by Using Surface Plasmon Resonance Biochip

  • Ying Li,

    Affiliations Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Information and Sensing Technologies of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, Pre-university Department, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

  • Xiao Ma,

    Affiliation Department of Optoelectronic Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

  • Minglu Zhao,

    Affiliation Department of Optoelectronic Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

  • Pan Qi,

    Affiliation Department of Electronics Engineering, Guangdong Communication Polytechnic, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

  • Jingang Zhong

    tzjg@jnu.edu.cn

    Affiliations Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Information and Sensing Technologies of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, Department of Optoelectronic Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Abstract

Coumaphos is a common organophosphorus pesticide used in agricultural products. It is harmful to human health and has a strictly stipulated maximum residue limit (MRL) on fruits and vegetables. Currently existing methods for detection are complex in execution, require expensive tools and are time consuming and labor intensive. The surface plasmon resonance method has been widely used in biomedicine and many other fields. This study discusses a detection method based on surface plasmon resonance in organophosphorus pesticide residues. As an alternative solution, this study proposes a method to detect Coumaphos. The method, which is based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and immune reaction, belongs to the suppression method. A group of samples of Coumaphos was detected by this method. The concentrations of Coumaphos in the samples were 0 µg/L, 50 µg/L, 100 µg/L, 300 µg/L, 500 µg/L, 1000 µg/L, 3000 µg/L and 5000 µg/L, respectively. Through detecting a group of samples, the process of kinetic reactions was analyzed and the corresponding standard curve was obtained. The sensibility is less than 25 µg/L, conforming to the standard of the MRL of Coumaphos stipulated by China. This method is label-free, using an unpurified single antibody only and can continuously test at least 80 groups of samples continuously. It has high sensitivity and specificity. The required equipments are simple, environmental friendly and easy to control. So this method is promised for a large number of samples quick detection on spot and for application prospects.

Introduction

Organophosphorus pesticide (OPPs) is a type of phosphate with different substituent groups that cause the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase to produce an insecticidal effect [1][3]. China is one of the world’s leading users of pesticide, nearly 70% of which is organophosphorus. Organophosphorus pesticide often has high levels of neurotoxicity in human and animals through gradual accumulation and regular intake. Organophosphorus pesticide may lead to symptoms such as neurological disorders, tremors, language disorders and even death [4][15]. Due to its high levels of toxicity, many organophosphorus pesticides have been banned or highly limited in use by most countries. Efforts are being made to revamp restrictions and regulations of organophosphorus pesticide residues in imported fruits and vegetables across America, Europe and Asia, which makes improved detection methods urgent and necessary.

Coumaphos is one of the organophosphorus pesticides. Coumaphos is harmful to human health and has a strictly stipulated maximum residue limit (MRL) on fruits and vegetables. China stipulates that the residues of Coumaphos in vegetables and fruits must be lower than 0.05 mg/kg [16]. Currently, it can be detected through methods of chromatography such as low pressure gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LP GC-MS) [17][20], high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) [21][23] and thin layer chromatography (TLC) [24][25]. Additionally the wave spectrum method [26][28] and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) [29][30], are also used.

Although these methods are highly sensitive and accurate, the sample pretreatment procedures are time-consuming and labor intensive, complex in execution and require expensive equipment. Furthermore, they do not enable real-time detection and rapid screening of large amount of samples. In contrast, the surface plasmon resonance biochip method is quick, highly sensitive, and label-free, and has been widely used in pharmaceutical analysis, food analysis, environment monitoring and many other fields [31][33]. This study discusses a detection technique based on surface plasmon resonance in organophosphorus pesticide residues, for example Coumaphos. This research adopts the self-developed portable surface plasmon resonance biochip detector by using of the specificity of immunoreaction to study the detection of higher toxicity organophosphorus pesticide-Coumaphos, to analyze the process of kinetic reactions and to establish its standard curve. The technique, which is based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and immune reaction, belongs to the suppression method. Comparing with ELISA methods and other methods, this method is label-free and has high specificity, and the sample pretreatment procedure is simple. The utilized equipment is cheap, simple, environmental friendly and easy to control. It achieves the continuousdetection and the quick screening of a large number of samples. This method can be applied in places where real-time quick detection and quality control is needed such as supermarkets, bazaars and factories.

Materials and Methods

Instrument and equipment, materials and reagents

The self-constructed portable SPR biochip detector is a sensitive and accurate angle scanning device. The use of this device is simple and easy, with a precision of up to 0.002°. It can also be controlled easily by LabView and has a user friendly interface [34].

Coumaphos standard (0.02 g/mL, the molecular weight of 362.78) is obtained from Dr. Ehrenstorfer GmbH (Augsburg, Germany). H11-OVA (Coumaphos-ovalbumin, 83 mg/L) and unpurified monoclonal antibody ascites of Coumaphos (5 mg/mL) are produced by the College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, as described in the previous work [35][36]. HS(CH2)10COOH (mercapto-undecanoic acid) and HS(CH2)6OH (mercapto-hexanoate), N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS), N-ethyl-N’-(dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC), Ethanolamine (Eth), and Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) are purchased from Sigma, USA. Other reagents are purchased from Beijing Chemical Reagent Company. The PBS buffer (2 mmol/L NaH2PO4, 2 mmol/L Na2HPO4, 150 mmol/L NaCl, pH 7.4) is used as immune reaction buffer. Coumaphos antigen and monoclonal antibody ascites of Coumaphos are diluted to the appropriate concentration solution with PBS buffer.

Preparation of Biochip

A gold film (thickness of 50 nm) is deposited on the surface of a piece of glass (diameter of 20 mm and thickness of 1 mm). The biochip with gold film is attached to the instrument. The flow cell is installed, and the PBS buffer is injected into it. The biochip will be self-assembledwhen the baseline is stable for a few minutes. The ethanol solution of mercaptoundecanoic acid (0.1 mmol/L HS(CH2)10COOH and 0.9 mmol/L HS(CH2)6OH (Mercaptohexyl hexanoate)) are injected into the flow cell. The gold film is chemically modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) by the prepared solution for 2 hours. The sulfhydryl terminal of the modified liquid can interact with gold and they bond to each other (S-Au bond), and then adsorb on the gold film stably and orderly. C-terminus can be activated to active ester by EDC/NHS as active groups. Active ester can react with proteins (antibody or antigen) to form amide linkage which will fix protein. After the biochip is modified, the PBS buffer is injected to wash the biochip for forming the baseline of the whole response. The 0.1 mol/L NHS and 0.1 mol/L EDC (1∶1, V/V) are added on to the surface of the biochip after the baseline being stable to activate the biochip for 15 minutes. The bioprobe H11-OVA is fixed after washed by PBS for 2 minutes. The H11-OVA which has been diluted 15 times as bioprobe is fixed on the surface of the biochip. The response value of the SPR increases significantly. Thirty minutes later, the biochip is washed by PBS for two minutes. The response value of the SPR after fixing is higher than it was before fixing, meaning that the effect of the fixed bioprobe is better. The ethanolamine (pH 8.5, 1 mol/L) is added for the inactivation of the remaining ester bond. The PBS is used to wash the gold film 5–7 minutes after for inactivation. The preparation of the biochip is complete and it can be used for the following detection. The process of Coumaphos immune detection by surface plasmon resonance biochip is shown in Fig. 1.

thumbnail
Figure 1. Scheme of Coumaphos immune detection by surface plasmon resonance biochip.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104689.g001

Suppression Detection

If the probe of biochip is the antibody of Coumaphos, Coumaphos, with a molecular weight of 362.78, can be combined with the antibody that is fixed on the surface of the biochip. This is the direct detection of Coumaphos, but the effect of the refractive index changing around the biochip surface is small. The effect of the direct detection will be unsatisfied because the variation of resonance peak is small. For the trace detection of substances with small molecular weight like Coumaphos, the suppression method was proposed. The bioprobe of the biochip is H11-OVA. 5 minutes after the antibodies were mixed with different concentrations of Coumaphos, the resultant mixtures are added on the surface of the biochip. The SPR effect is detected and the kinetic process can be analyzed. If the concentration of Coumaphos molecules is low, more antibodies of Coumaphos will combine with the probes H11-OVA on the surface of the biochip, and then the response value of SPR will become larger. The concentration of Coumaphos molecules is inversely proportional to the response value of SPR. That is the meaning of the method of suppression detection.

Results and Discussion

The process of a group of Coumaphos molecules detected by suppression method is shown in Fig. 2. It plots the baseline of PBS in Marking 1 in Figure 2A, the activation of the surface of the biochip, and c-terminus activates into active ester in Marking 2, and the washing by PBS after activation in Marking 3. At that time the response value of the SPR falls back to baseline. The fixation of the bioprobe H11-OVA is shown in Marking 4, and the response value increases drastically. The fixed probe is monitored in real time. The response value no longer increases after about 45 minutes, meaning the bioprobe fixed on the biochip has been saturated. The fixation of the bioprobe is complete and is washed by PBS as shown in the Marking 5. At this time the response value of the SPR decreases slightly but is higher than the baseline in Marking 3, which suggests that the fixation effect is good. In Marking 6, the rest of the ester linkages are inactivated and confined with ethanolamine in order to avoid the formation of nonspecific adsorption. Marking 7 is the cleaning process by PBS to get rid of the substances that are not fixed. With all the operations above, the preparation of the biochip is complete and can be used for the detection of samples.

thumbnail
Figure 2. The process of a group of Coumaphos molecules detected by suppression method.

A) The preparation of the biochip. 1: PBS; 2: active ester; 3: PBS; 4: The fixation of the bioprobe H11-OVA; 5: PBS; 6: inactivated; 7: PBS. B) Detecting a group of samples by suppression method. 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 plot samples 5000 µg/L, 3000 µg/L, 1000 µg/L, 500 µg/L, 300 µg/L, 100 µg/L, 50 µg/L and 0 µg/L, respectively. 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 are PBS.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104689.g002

The antibodies against Coumaphos are diluted with PBS, standing for 5 minutes to ensure sufficient reaction after the antibody was mixed with samples of Coumaphos molecules. The concentration of the antibodies in the mixture is 10 mg/L, the concentrations of Coumaphos molecules are 0 µg/L, 50 µg/L, 100 µg/L, 300 µg/L, 500 µg/L, 1000 µg/L, 3000 µg/L and 5000 µg/L, the mixtures are added on the surface of the biochip. Then, the dynamic variation of the SPR is recorded. As Markings 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 plot the dynamic curve of samples in Figure 2B, the concentrations of Coumaphos molecules are 5000 µg/L, 3000 µg/L, 1000 µg/L, 500 µg/L, 300 µg/L, 100 µg/L, 50 µg/L and 0 µg/L, respectively. Thus it can be seen when the concentrations of the samples decrease, the response value of SPR is increasing.

There is a competitive relationship between the Coumaphos molecules in the mixture and the probe H11-OVA on the surface of the biochip, as both of them can be combined with the antibody in the mixture. The Coumaphos molecules suppress the combination between the antibody and the probe H11-OVA on the surface of the biochip. The antibody of Coumaphos is macromolecule, and Coumaphos is micromolecule. The molecular weight of the antibody is larger than Coumaphos, and the weight of H11-OVA-antibody is larger than Coumaphos-antibody. After the combination between the antibody and the probe H11-OVA on the surface of the biochip, the antigen-antibody conjugates on the surface of the biochip increase while the SPR response value also increases. The concentration of Coumaphos molecules is inversely proportional to the response value of SPR. If the concentration of Coumaphos molecules is low more antibodies of Coumaphos will combine with the probes on the surface of the biochip, and then the response value of SPR, namely the resonance angle, will become larger, as is shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Six minutes after the immune reaction, the SDS-HCl solution is used to elute the combination of the antigen and antibody. The PBS is used to wash the SDS-HCl after two minutes. The response value of SPR can be returned to the baseline, as is shown in Markings 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 of Figure 2B.

thumbnail
Figure 3. The dynamic curve of Coumaphos molecules detected by suppression method.

The concentrations of samples are 0 µg/L, 300 µg/L, 1000 µg/L and 5000 µg/L.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104689.g003

Figure. 3 shows the dynamic curve of the partial samples, the concentrations of samples are 0 µg/L, 300 µg/L, 1000 µg/L and 5000 µg/L, respectively. With the concentration of Coumaphos molecules increasing, the response value of SPR declines.

In this case, the biochip with the fixation to the bioprobe can be used in the continuous detection of 80 groups of samples. The response value of SPR declines significantly and the sensitivity decreases after the detection of 80 groups of samples, signaling the bioprobe fixed on the surface of the biochip is damaged. The biochip regeneration can be realized after 0.1 mol/L HCl is added on the surface of the biochip. The sensor biochip can still be used after self-assembling and the fixation of bioprobe.

Figure 4 shows the standard curve of immunoreaction of Coumaphos molecules tested by suppression method with the SPR biochip. The y-coordinate represents the response value of the immune reaction at 5 minutes, and the x-coordinate is the concentration of Coumaphos. The curve appears approximately to be an inverted “S”. The standard deviation is less than 10% after the repeated detections of each concentration (3 times). The value of IC50 is 1000 µg/L. The detection limit is less than 25 µg/L. After detections of the SPR response value, the concentration of Coumaphos in the sample could be obtained by checking the standard curve. This method could contribute greatly to the quality control of fruits and vegetables and in-field real time detection.

thumbnail
Figure 4. Standard curve of detecting Coumaphos molecules by suppression method.

The y-coordinate represents the response value, and the x-coordinate is the concentration of Coumaphos. The curve appears approximately to be an inverted “S”. The value of IC50 is 1000 µg/L.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104689.g004

To prepare different concentrations of Coumaphos standard solution, the concentrations of samples are 50 µg/L, 100 µg/L, 500 µg/L, 1000 µg/L, respectively, as the true value of samples. The content of Coumaphos molecules in Coumaphos standard solution is detected by using the SPR biochip in suppression method. And the estimated value of the concentrations of Coumaphos molecules can be calculated by the combination of the data detected by SPR detector and the standard curve shown in Fig. 4. The concentration of the Coumaphos standard is regarded as the real value and the data calculated by the standard curve is regarded as the estimated value. The real value compares with the estimated value, as is shown in Table 1. The absolute deviation of the real value compares and the estimated value is smaller, and so is the relative deviation. The SPR biochip method is effective, and the experimental method is feasible, and may successfully be used in food quality control and real-time detection.

thumbnail
Table 1. The analysis of the detection of Coumaphos molecules in Coumaphos standard solution by using the SPR biochip in suppression method.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0104689.t001

Conclusions

Organophosphorus, specifically Coumaphos, has become one of the main pesticides for the prevention and control of plant diseases and insect pests. Excessive pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, however, threaten the health of human beings and animals directly. As the inspection of food imports and exports becomes stricter, it is urgent and necessary to build a simple, effective and cheap detection method of pesticide residue for avoiding pesticide poisoning and protect the health of humans [37].

The detection of Coumaphos by using the biochip of SPR in suppression method mentioned in this paper, has a lot of advantages including inexpensive equipment, label-free detection, high accuracy, specificity and low cost. It also does not require a second antibody, chemical substances, such as fluorescence dye, and use unpurified antibody ascites. It can be used to detect pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables and quickly provide quantitative results. The equipment utilized is inexpensive, portable, environmentally friendly and easy to control. It ensures the achievement of real-time detection and rapid screening of large amount of samples making it ideal for usage in environments such as supermarkets, bazaars and factories.

In this paper, the adopted working concentration of antibody is 10 mg/L, if the working concentration of antibody is reduced, the detection limit of the sample of small Coumaphos molecules can also be reduced.

Acknowledgments

We thank Zong Dai and Yun Chen for the technical assistance.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: YL JZ. Performed the experiments: YL XM. Analyzed the data: YL MZ PQ. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: YL. Contributed to the writing of the manuscript: YL MZ. Designed the software used in analysis: PQ XM.

References

  1. 1. Eversole JW, Lilly JH, Shaw FR (1965) Toxicity of droppings from Coumaphos-Fed hens to little house fly larvae. Journal of Economic Entomology 58: 709–710.
  2. 2. Pardío VT, Ibarra NDJ, Waliszewski KN, López KM (2007) Effect of coumaphos on cholinesterase activity, hematology, and biochemical blood parameters of bovines in tropical regions of Mexico. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B: Pesticides, Food Contaminants, and Agricultural Wastes 42: 359–366
  3. 3. Johnson RM, Pollock HS, Berenbaum MR (2009) Synergistic interactions between In-Hive miticides in apis mellifera. Journal of Economic Entomology 102: 474–479
  4. 4. Balayiannis G, Balayiannis P (2008) Bee Honey as an environmental bioindicator of pesticides’ occurrence in six agricultural areas of Greece. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 55: 462–470
  5. 5. Yavuz H, Guler GO, Aktumsek A, Cakmak YS, Ozparlak H (2010) Determination of some organochlorine pesticide residues in honeys from Konya, Turkey. Environ Monit Assess 168: 277–283
  6. 6. Das YK, Kaya S (2009) Organophosphorus Insecticide Residues in Honey Produced in Turkey. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 83: 378–383
  7. 7. Choudhary A, Sharma DC (2008) Pesticide residues in honey samples from Himachal Pradesh (India). Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 80: 417–422
  8. 8. Škerl MIS, Bolta ŠV, Česnik HB, Gregorc A (2009) Residues of pesticides in Honeybee (Apis mellifera carnica) bee bread and in pollen loads from treated apple orchards. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 83: 374–377
  9. 9. Weick J, Thorn RS (2002) Effects of acute sublethal exposure to Coumaphos or Diazinon on acquisition and discrimination of odor stimuli in the honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 95: 227–236
  10. 10. Huang Z (2001) Mite zapper a new and effective method for Varroa Mite control. American Bee Journal: 730–732.
  11. 11. Savage EP, Keefe TJ, Mounce LM, Heaton RK, Lewis JA, et al. (1998) Chronic neurological sequelae of acute Organophosphate Pesticide poisoning. Archives of Environmental Health 43: 38–45
  12. 12. Popendorf WJ, Leffingwell JT (1982) Regulating OP pesticide residues for farmworker protection. Residue Reviews 82: 125–201
  13. 13. Marrs TC (1993) Organophosphate poisoning. Pharmacology & Therapeutics 58: 51–66
  14. 14. Hill EF, Fleming WJ (1982) Anticholinesterase poisoning of birds: Field monitoring and diagnosis of acute poisoning. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 1: 27–38
  15. 15. Eddleston M, Szinicz L, Eyer P, Buckley N (2002) Oximes in acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning: a systematic review of clinical trials. Oxford Journals 95: 275–283
  16. 16. Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China (2012) National food safety standard Maximum residue limits for pesticides in food. GB 2763–2012.
  17. 17. Albero B, Sánchez-Brunete C, Tadeo JL (2004) Analysis of pesticides in honey by Solid-Phase Extraction and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 52: 5828–5835
  18. 18. Rissato SR, Galhiane MS, de Almeida MV, Gerenutti M, Apon BM (2007) Multiresidue determination of pesticides in honey samples by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and application in environmental contamination. Food Chemistry 101: 1719–1726
  19. 19. Jiménez JJ, Bernal JL, del Nozal MJ, Martın MT, Mayorga AL (1998) Solid-phase microextraction applied to the analysis of pesticide residues in honey using gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. Journal of Chromatography A 829: 269–277. PII: S0021-9673(98)00826-7. PubMed: 9923084.
  20. 20. Pang GF, Fan CL, Liu YM, Cao YZ, Zhang JJ, et al. (2006) Multi-residue method for the determination of 450 pesticide residues in honey, fruit juice and wine by double-cartridge solid-phase extraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Food Additives and Contaminants 23: 777–810
  21. 21. Grimalt S, Sancho JV, PozoÓJ, Garca-Baudin JM, Fernndez-Cruz ML, et al. (2006) Analytical study of Trichlorfon residues in Kaki Fruit and Cauliflower aamples by Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 54: 1188–1195
  22. 22. Famiglini G, Palma P, Termopoli V, Trufelli H, Cappiello A (2009) Single-step LC/MS method for the simultaneous determination of GC-Amenable Organochlorine and LC-Amenable Phenoxy Acidic Pesticides. Analytical Chemistry 81: 7373–7378
  23. 23. Sannino A, Bolzoni L, Bandini M (2004) Application of liquid chromatography with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry to the determination of a new generation of pesticides in processed fruits and vegetables. Journal of Chromatography A 1036: 161–169
  24. 24. Lawrence JF (1976) Fluorogenic labeling of organophosphate pesticides with dansyl chloride: Application to residue analysis by high-pressure liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography. Journal of Chromatography A 121: 343–351. PubMed: 932151.
  25. 25. Butz S, Stan HJ (1995) Screening of 265 pesticides in water by Thin-Layer Chromatography with automated multiple development. Analytical Chemistry 67: 620–630
  26. 26. Janotta M, Karlowatz M, Vogt F, Mizaikoff B (2003) Sol–gel based mid-infrared evanescent wave sensors for detection of organophosphate pesticides in aqueous solution. Analytica Chimica Acta 496: 339–348
  27. 27. Tanner PA, Leung KH (1996) Spectral interpretation and qualitative analysis of organophosphorus pesticides using FT-Raman and FT-Infrared Spectroscopy. Applied Spectroscopy 50: 565–571
  28. 28. Viveros L, Paliwal S, McCrae D, Wild J, Simonian A (2006) A fluorescence-based biosensor for the detection of organophosphate pesticides and chemical warfare agents. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical 115: 150–157
  29. 29. Kim YJ, Cho Y, Lee HS, Lee YT (2003) Investigation of the effect of hapten heterology on immunoassay sensitivity and development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the organophosphorus insecticide fenthion. Analytica Chimica Acta 494: 29–40
  30. 30. Brun EM, Garcés-García M, Puchades R, Maquieira Á (2004) Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the organophosphorus insecticide fenthion. Influence of hapten structure. Journal of Immunological Methods 295: 21–35
  31. 31. Moeller N, Mueller-Seitz E, Scholz O, Hillen W, Petz M, et al. (2007) A new strategy for the analysis of tetracycline residues in foodstuffs by a surface plasmon resonance biosensor. European Food Research and Technology 224: 285–292
  32. 32. Nogues C, Leh H, Langendorf CG, Law RHP, Buckle AM, et al. (2010) Characterisation of peptide microarrays for studying antibody-antigen binding using surface plasmon resonance imagery. PLoS ONE 5: e12152
  33. 33. Kuo YC, Ho JH, Yen TJ, Chen HF, Lee OKS (2011) Development of a surface plasmon resonance biosensor for real-time detection of Osteogenic differentiation in live mesenchymal stem cells. PLoS ONE 6: e22382
  34. 34. Li Y, Qi P, Ma X, Zhong JG (2014) Quick detection technique for clenbuterol hydrochloride by using surface plasmon resonance biosensor. European Food Research and Technology 239: 195–201
  35. 35. Dai Z, Liu H, Shen YD, Su XP, Xu ZL, et al. (2012) Attomolar determination of Coumaphos by electrochemical displacement immunoassay coupled with oligonucleotide sensing. Analytical Chemistry 84: 8157–8163
  36. 36. Xu ZL, Wang Q, Lei HT, Eremin SA, Shen YD, et al. (2011) A simple, rapid and high-throughput fluorescence polarization immunoassay for simultaneous detection of organophosphorus pesticides in vegetable and environmental water samples. Analytica Chimica Acta 708: 123–129
  37. 37. Yin GH, Sun ZN, Liu N, Zhang L, Song YZ, et al. (2009) Production of double-stranded RNA for interference with TMV infection utilizing a bacterial prokaryotic expression system. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 84: 323–333 Doi:10.1007/s00253-009-1967-y. PubMed: 19330324.