Surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopic characterization of the protein native structure

Surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) spectra of biological species are often different from their resonance Raman (RR) spectra. A home-designed Raman flow system is used to determine the factors that contribute to the difference between the SERRS and RR of met-myoglobin (metMb). The results indicate that both the degree of protein-nanoparticles interaction and the laser irradiation contribute to the structural changes and are responsible for the observed differences between the SERRS and RR spectra of metMb. The prolonged adsorption of the protein molecules on the nanoparticle surface, which is the condition normally used for the conventional SERRS experiments, disturbs the heme pocket structure and facilitates the charge transfer process and the photoinduced transformation of proteins. The disruption of the heme pocket results in the loss of the distal water molecule, and the resulting SERRS spectrum of metMb shows a 5-coordinated high-spin heme. The flow system, when operated at a moderately high flow rate, can basically eliminate the factors that disturb the protein structure while maintaining a high enhancement factor. The SERRS spectrum obtained from a 1 x 10 (-7) M metMb solution using this flow system is basically identical to the RR spectrum of a 5 x 10 (-4) M metMb solution. Therefore, the Raman flow system reported here should be useful for characterizing the protein-nanoparticles interaction and the native structure of proteins using SERRS spectroscopy.