6533b7defe1ef96bd1275c64
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Single Unlabeled Protein Detection on Individual Plasmonic Nanoparticles
Sebastian SchmachtelIrene AmentJanak PrasadCarsten SönnichsenAndreas Henkelsubject
Protein FoldingAnalyteSurface PropertiesMetal NanoparticlesBioengineeringNanotechnology02 engineering and technology010402 general chemistry01 natural sciencesNanotechnologyGeneral Materials ScienceSoft matterSurface plasmon resonancePlasmonic nanoparticlesChemistryMechanical EngineeringProteinsGeneral ChemistrySurface Plasmon Resonance021001 nanoscience & nanotechnologyCondensed Matter Physics0104 chemical sciencesKineticsBrownian dynamicsProtein foldingAdsorptionGold0210 nano-technologyBiological systemMacromoleculeProtein adsorptiondescription
The ultimate detection limit in analytic chemistry and biology is the single molecule. Commonly, fluorescent dye labels or enzymatic amplification are employed. This requires additional labeling of the analyte, which modifies the species under investigation and therefore influences biological processes. Here, we utilize single gold nanoparticles to detect single unlabeled proteins with extremely high temporal resolution. This allows for monitoring the dynamic evolution of a single protein binding event on a millisecond time scale. The technique even resolves equilibrium coverage fluctuations, opening a window into Brownian dynamics of unlabeled macromolecules. Therefore, our method enables the study of protein folding dynamics, protein adsorption processes, and kinetics as well as nonequilibrium soft matter dynamics on the single molecule level.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-01-25 | Nano Letters |