Theoretical and Experimental Study of a Glycan-Coated Biosensor for Staphylococcus aureus Detection

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Biotechnology, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), Tehran, Iran

4 Department of Chemical Technologies, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Methicillin‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one of the community-associated pathogens with a high capacity for attachment to human tissues and biofilm formation. Therefore, the design of tools for rapid identification of this bacterium in environments and providing timely safety alerts is essential for public health. The aim of the present study was to identify a suitable coating that can be immobilized on an electrical sensor and effectively capture Staphylococcus cells on the sensor surface. The glycan Asialoganglioside GM2 (GA2) was selected as a candidate for this purpose, and molecular docking simulations were used to investigate and validate its potential to bind Staphylococcus receptors. The results showed that the interaction of GA2 with S. aureus receptors exhibited high binding affinity and relatively low RMSD values, indicating a stable and reliable binding interaction. This strong binding of GA2 with ClfB receptor suggests potential applications for GA2 in inhibiting bacterial adhesion and in developing diagnostic or therapeutic strategies targeting S. aureus. Also, this simulation finding was confirmed experimentally. A GA2 coating was applied to the sensor, increasing the probability of bacterial attachment to the sensor surface by more than eightfold. Also, the coating’s specificity to S. aureus detection was examined with E. coli (experimentally and theoretically). These findings may provide a basis for designing targeted therapeutics and diagnostics against this important pathogen.

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References

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Microbiology, Metabolites and Biotechnology
Volume 8, Issue 2
November 2025
Pages 95-105

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