Department of Physics E. Pancini, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Univesitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia, I-80126, Naples, Italy.
National Institute of Optics (INO)-National Research Council (CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, I-80078, Pozzuoli, NA, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 12;9(1):1832. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37997-3.
Sensitive detection of altered proteins expression in plasma membranes is of fundamental importance, for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) has proven to be a quite sensitive approach to detect proteins, even in very diluted samples. However, proteins detection in complex environment, such as the cellular membrane, is still a challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a SERS-based platform to reveal the overexpression of target proteins in cell membranes. As a proof of concept, we implemented ectopic expression of carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the plasma membrane of the SKOV3 tumor cell line. Our outcomes demonstrate that SERS signals from cells put in contact with a hyperuniform SERS substrate allow highlighting subtle differences in the biochemical composition of cell membranes, normally hidden in spontaneous Raman confocal microscopy. This opens new opportunities for a label-free membrane analysis and bio-sensing in a broader sense.
敏感检测血浆膜中异常蛋白质表达对于诊断和预后目的都至关重要。表面增强拉曼散射（SERS）已被证明是一种非常敏感的检测蛋白质的方法，即使在非常稀释的样品中也是如此。然而，在复杂环境（如细胞膜）中检测蛋白质仍然是一个挑战。在此，我们展示了一种基于 SERS 的平台，用于揭示细胞膜中靶蛋白的过表达。作为概念验证，我们在外源表达碳酸酐酶 IX（CAIX）和表皮生长因子受体（EGFR）的情况下，在 SKOV3 肿瘤细胞系的质膜中进行了实验。我们的结果表明，与超均匀 SERS 基底接触的细胞的 SERS 信号能够突出细胞膜生物化学组成的细微差异，而这些差异在自发拉曼共聚焦显微镜下通常是隐藏的。这为更广泛意义上的无标记膜分析和生物传感开辟了新的机会。
