Membrane-protein binding measured with solution-phase plasmonic nanocube sensors

We describe a solution-phase sensor of lipid-protein binding based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of silver nanocubes. When silica-coated nanocubes are mixed in a suspension of lipid vesicles, supported membranes spontaneously assemble on their surfaces. Using a standard laboratory spectrophotometer, we calibrated the LSPR peak shift due to protein binding to the membrane surface and then characterized the lipid-binding specificity of a pleckstrin homology domain protein.