Preservability and Fluctuations in the Binding Activity of Sugar Chains to Influenza Viruses

An international influenza outbreak represents one of the most serious public health crises of global concern. The dissemination of influenza A virus variants necessitates continuous monitoring owing to the high mutation rate of the virus. Therefore, this study aimed to engineer a nanocarbon-based biosensor that is capable of identifying the preferred host of the virus. The practical implementation of biosensors for constant surveillance requires their preservation for several years. This paper documents the preservability of sugar chain probes using pyrenylated sialylglycopeptide and neoglycoprotein and examines relative errors associated with fluctuations in binding activity. Atomic force microscopy revealed that substantial relative errors may be associated with partially degraded sugar chains, and that the cleaning process appears to be crucial in probe preparation.