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Intracellular SERS hybrid probes using BSA–reporter conjugates

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Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) hybrid probes are characterized by the typical spectrum of a reporter molecule. In addition, they deliver information from their biological environment. Here, we report SERS hybrid probes generated by conjugating different reporter molecules to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and using gold nanoparticles as plasmonic core. Advantages of the BSA-conjugate hybrid nanoprobes over other SERS nanoprobes are a high biocompatibility, stabilization of the gold nanoparticles in the biological environment, stable reporter signals, and easy preparation. The coupling efficiencies of the BSA–reporter conjugates were determined by MALDI-TOF-MS. The conjugates’ characteristic SERS spectra differ from the spectra of unbound reporter molecules. This is a consequence of the covalent coupling, which leads to altered SERS enhancement and changes in the chemical structures of the reporter and of BSA. The application of the BSA–reporter conjugate hybrid probes in 3T3 cells, including duplex imaging, is demonstrated. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal components analysis were applied for multivariate imaging using the SERS signatures of the incorporated SERS hybrid nanoprobes along with the spectral information from biomolecules in endosomal structures of cells. The results suggest more successful applications of the SERS hybrid probes in cellular imaging and other unordered high-density bioanalytical sensing.

Single pixel spectrum obtained with SERS hybrid nanoprobes (here: BSA-AO conjugate on gold nanoparticles) inside living 3T3 cells. The distribution of SERS hybrid nanoprobes in 3T3 fibroblast cells can be obtained from chemical mapping, and from hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) mapping employing the full spectral range from 300–1700 cm-1

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Acknowledgments

We thank M. Weller and R. Schneider (BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing) for providing the cell culture facility and P. Lasch (CytoSpec, Inc.) for Cytospec software. D. D. and J. K. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant no. 2594 32 MULTIBIOPHOT).

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Author notes

  1. Andrea Hornemann

    Present address: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestr. 2-12, 10587, Berlin, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Brook-Taylor-Str. 2, 12489, Berlin, Germany

    Andrea Hornemann, Daniela Drescher & Janina Kneipp

  2. BAM Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, Richard-Willstätter-Str.11, 12489, Berlin, Germany

    Andrea Hornemann, Daniela Drescher, Sabine Flemig & Janina Kneipp

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  1. Andrea Hornemann
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Correspondence to Janina Kneipp.

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Published in the topical collection Optical Nanosensing in Cells with guest editor Francesco Baldini.

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Hornemann, A., Drescher, D., Flemig, S. et al. Intracellular SERS hybrid probes using BSA–reporter conjugates. Anal Bioanal Chem 405, 6209–6222 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-013-7054-3

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