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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 7: Posters: Proteins

BP 7.22: Poster

Monday, March 26, 2012, 17:30–19:30, Poster A

Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy on Membrane Proteins — •Elmar Hassan Hubrich, Kenichi Ataka, and Joachim Heberle — Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Physics, Exp. Molecular Biophysics, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) combines high spatial resolution of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with structural sensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Using a gold-coated AFM tip, it is possible to measure Raman signals with a spatial resolution up to 30 nm.

AFM allows imaging, measuring (e.g.: single-molecule force spectroscopy), and manipulating matter at the nanoscale. The information is gathered by “feeling” the surface with a mechanical probe.

Raman spectroscopy provides information about the molecular structure of proteins. In order to detect a monolayer of molecules we use surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The SERS signal is enhanced in the vicinity of (usually) silver- or gold-coated surfaces (up to a factor of 10⁹−10¹² compared to conventional Raman).

Up to now, this technique is mainly applied to surfaces modified with inorganic samples. However, TERS is a promising tool to investigate membrane proteins since single molecules could be studied by Raman spectroscopy under biological conditions.

Here, we introduce the experimental setup and discuss the application of TERS to the investigation of membrane proteins.