A one-component array-based sensor consisting of a dansyl-modified polylysine (PLL-Dnc) is capable of discriminating the types and compositional ratios of human cells using varying buffer conditions. The PLL-Dnc sensor array, which affords turn-on fluorescence responses against analyte cells that depend on the pH value and the ionic strength, generates differential fluorescence signatures of cells and successfully discriminates eight types of human cell lines (2.0 × 104 cells/mL) with 100% accuracy using multivariate analysis. The array also allows differentiation of the composition of the cell mixtures that contain cells with the same tissue origin but of different subtypes. The good discrimination ability and simple platform of our "one-component"-based array allows an easy and rapid sensing of cells without requiring any information on specific biomarkers.
Keywords: biosensors; cell lines; fluorophores; multivariate analysis; polymers.