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Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Published on: May 27, 2018
Water bend-libration as a cellular Raman imaging probe of hydration
Sashary Ramos1, Jennifer C Lee1
1Laboratory of Protein Conformation and Dynamics, Biochemistry and Biophysics Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
None:
Water is a ubiquitous and vital component of living systems. Hydration, which is the interaction between water and intracellular biomolecules, plays an important role in cellular processes. However, it is technically challenging to study water structure within cells directly. Here, we demonstrate the utility and power of the water bend-libration combination band as a unique Raman spectral imaging probe of cellular hydration. Hydration maps reveal distinct water environments within subcellular compartments (e.g., nucleolus and lipid droplet) due to the spectral sensitivity of this coupled vibrational band. Spectroscopic studies using the water bend-libration are broadly applicable, offering the potential to capture the chemical complexity of hydration in numerous systems.
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