Biomedical subjects

Andrew A Berlin

Publications and source records attributed to Andrew A Berlin.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Ultrasensitive detection and characterization of posttranslational modifications using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Posttranslational modification (PTM) of proteins is likely to be the most common mechanism of altering the expression of genetic information. It is essential to characterize PTMs to establish a complete understanding of the activities of proteins. Here, we present a sensitive detection method using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) that can detect PTMs from as little as zeptomoles of peptide. We demonstrate, using model peptides, the ability of SERS to detect a variety of protein modifications, such as acetylation, trimethylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination. In addition, we show the capability to obtain positional information for modifications such as trimethylation and phosphorylation using SERS and wavelet decomposition data analysis techniques. We further show that it is possible to apply SERS to detect PTMs from biological samples such as histones. We envision that this detection method might be a valuable technique that is complementary to mass spectrometry in obtaining orthogonal chemical and modification-specific information from biological samples at sensitive levels.

Acetylation↗

PubMed2005

Single-molecule detection of biomolecules by surface-enhanced coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering.

We report on the applicability of combining surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering for high-sensitivity detection of biological molecules. We found that this combination of techniques provides more than 3 orders of signal enhancement compared with SERS and permits monitoring of biological molecules such as deoxyguanosine monophosphate (dGMP) and deoxyadenosine monophosphate at the single-molecule level. This combined technique also improved detection sensitivity for angiotensin peptide. As this is believed to be the first report of detection of dGMP at the single-molecule level, we suggest that this approach can serve as a new tool for biological studies.

Angiotensin I↗

PubMed2005

Microfluidic operations using deformable polymer membranes fabricated by single layer soft lithography.

We show that it is possible to use single layer soft lithography to create deformable polymer membranes within microfluidic chips for performing a variety of microfluidic operations. Single layer microfluidic chips were designed, fabricated, and characterized to demonstrate pumping, sorting, and mixing. Flow rates as high as 0.39 microl min(-1) were obtained by peristaltic pumping using pneumatically-actuated membrane devices. Sorting was attained via pneumatic actuation of membrane units placed alongside the branch channels. An active mixer was also demonstrated using single-layer deformable membrane units.

Equipment Design↗

PubMed2005

Composite organic-inorganic nanoparticles (COINs) with chemically encoded optical signatures.

To obtain a coding system for multiplex detection, we have developed a method to synthesize a new type of nanomaterial called composite organic-inorganic nanoparticles (COINs). The method allows the incorporation of a broad range of organic compounds into COINs to produce surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-like spectra that are richer in variety than fluorescence-based signatures. Preliminary data suggest that COINs can be used as Raman tags for multiplex and ultrasensitive detection of biomolecules.

Gold↗

PubMed2004

Specific chemical effects on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for ultra-sensitive detection of biological molecules.

Achieving high signal amplification in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is important for reaching single molecule level sensitivity and has been the focus of intense research efforts. We introduce a novel chemical enhancer, lithium chloride, that provides an additional order of magnitude increase in SERS relative to previously reported enhancement results. We have duplicated single molecule detection of the DNA base adenine that has previously been reported, thereby providing independent validation of this important result. Building upon this work, we show that the chemical enhancer LiCl produces strong SERS signal under a wide range of experimental conditions, including multiple laser excitation wavelengths and target molecule concentrations, for nucleotides, nucleosides, bases, and dye molecules. This is significant because while selection of anions used in chemical enhancement is well known to affect the degree of amplification attained, cation selection has previously been reported to have no major effect on the magnitude of SERS enhancement. Our findings indicate that cation selection is quite important in ultra-sensitive SERS detection, opening the door to further discussion and theory development involving the role of cations in SERS.

Adenine↗