Surface‐enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS): Protein Application

Abstract

This article outlines the recent progress in surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)‐based biological applications, especially in the study of proteins. SERS is a specific Raman spectroscopic technique that provides enhanced Raman signals (several orders of magnitude greater than normal) for numerous Raman‐active analyte molecules adsorbed onto rough metal surfaces. SERS is a sensitive, selective, and versatile technique, and it lends itself readily to fast data acquisition. Therefore, SERS has undergone rapid development because of numerous technical advances in both instrumentation and methods of data analysis and a vast proliferation and combination of basic techniques for its multiple biological applications. This article highlights several representative areas in biology where SERS could be employed. Some of the biological applications of SERS are more developed, whereas others are in their initial stages of development (in laboratories). This article discusses the recent developments in SERS‐based quantitative analysis: (i) directly with different substrates (e.g. biomolecules on electrodes, colloidal particles, and periodic pattern structure and tip‐based substrates) and (ii) indirectly with different types of sensors (e.g. immunogold‐, enzymatic‐, reagent‐, and Raman‐active nanomaterial‐based sensors). Furthermore, SERS‐based techniques are advantageous for obtaining valuable information on protein–protein, protein–ligand, and protein–drug recognitions via spectral differences among molecular bridges. SERS‐based techniques show considerable promise for qualitative and/or quantitative analyses of biological systems.

Use of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Probes to Detect Fatty Acid Receptor Activity in a Microfluidic Device

“…While the mechanism for this increased signal has not been elucidated, the binding of FAs to the receptor may induce a conformational change that facilitates the subsequent binding of the SERS probe or FAs themselves, and may facilitate the functional expression of previously quiescent receptors in the membrane. SERS has been proven to have the ability to detect the conformation change of DNA and protein receptors by several groups [30,31,32,33].…”

Self-Calibration 3D Hybrid SERS Substrate and Its Application in Quantitative Analysis

“…It can provide molecular fingerprint information that enables the recognition of various chemical species. The advantages of SERS technology lie in the high sensitivity with single-molecule detection level, functional group specificity, and minimal sample preparation. − Nowadays, SERS has been applied to a wide range of fields, such as polymers, , materials, biological sensing, − catalytic investigation, , drug monitoring, and electrochemical investigation. , Basically, SERS enhancement arises mainly from an enhanced near-electric field as a result of surface plasmon resonance (SPR), which is the collective oscillation of free electrons in the plasmonic nanomaterials (such as Au, Ag, and Cu) excited by electromagnetic radiation. The arrangement of plasmonic nanoparticles into nanostructures with very small gaps can induce the SPR coupling effect, which in turn generates a more enhanced near field in the gap than elsewhere.…”

A Turn-On Resonance Raman Scattering (BCS/Cu+) Sensor for Quantitative Determination of Proteins

“…Most reagents used for colorimetric protein assays exhibit a high Raman scattering crosssection. [17][18][19][20][21] Recently, Raman spectroscopy has attracted increasing interest in reagent-based protein assays owing to potentially high sensitivity and selectivity for protein identification. In surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based Bradford assay, SERS is sensitive to the amount of unbound Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 (CBBG) molecules adsorbed on silver surfaces, and the amount of bound CBBG dye is directly related to the target protein concentration.…”

“…Further, proteins with different amino acid compositions and prosthetic groups exhibit excellent recoveries with SERRS-based methods. 17 Therefore, Raman spectroscopy can provide an improved detection method and improved sensitivity for reagent-based proteins research.…”