A fluorescence and SERS dual-mode biosensor for quantification and imaging of Mucin1 in living cells

Mucin1 (MUC1) is a cell surface transmembrane protein overexpressed in multiple types of tumor cells, which is generally considered as a tumor-associated biomarker. Thus, quantifying and imaging of MUC1 in tumor cells is of great significance for the diagnosis and biological therapy of tumors. Herein, a fluorescence (FL) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) dual-mode biosensor was developed for sensitive detection and imaging of MUC1 in living cells. The FL-SERS biosensor was based on self-assembled satellite structures mediated by the competition of MUC1 and complementary DNA modified on Au nanostars (AuNS-cDNA-PEG) with aptamer modified on quantum dots (QD-PDDA-Apt). This biosensor achieved dual-mode quantification and imaging of MUC1 by quenching the FL signal of QD and significantly enhancing the SERS signal of PDDA through the metal FL quenching effect and hotspot effect of AuNS, respectively. The dual-mode biosensor exhibited high sensitivity to MUC1, with a detection limit of 1.19 fg/mL under FL mode and 1.16 fg/mL under SERS mode. Moreover, this biosensor displayed good selectivity, nice biological stability and low cytotoxicity. Importantly, this biosensor possessed an excellent MUC1 dual-mode imaging capability with high specificity in different tumor cells, providing a new idea for clinical diagnosis of tumors.