Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of DNA

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) offers high sensitivity for molecular analysis.
• Reproducibility challenges have limited SERS applications in complex biological systems like DNA.
• Understanding DNA conformation and drug interactions is crucial for therapeutic development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a highly reproducible SERS method for analyzing single and double-stranded DNA oligomers.
• To introduce a novel spectral correlation function for assessing reproducibility and molecular conformation changes.
• To monitor the interaction between DNA and cisplatin, a widely used chemotherapy agent.

Main Methods:

• Developed a protocol to relax thiolated DNA oligomers into an extended conformation.
• Applied surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to analyze the conformationally relaxed DNA.
• Introduced and utilized a spectral correlation function analysis to quantify spectral similarity and molecular changes.

Main Results:

• Achieved highly reproducible SERS spectra for DNA oligonucleotides, dominated by adenine Stokes modes.
• Demonstrated that the spectral correlation function effectively assesses reproducibility.
• Successfully monitored conformational changes in DNA upon interaction with cisplatin.

Conclusions:

• The developed SERS protocol provides exceptional reproducibility for DNA analysis.
• The spectral correlation function is a valuable tool for quantitative analysis of molecular conformation and interactions.
• This method offers a promising approach for studying DNA-drug interactions in chemotherapy research.