Reversible Aptamer-Au Plasmon Rulers for Secreted Single Molecules

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b01161
• Publication Date: 2015-06-03T18:52:04Z
• Authors: Somin Eunice Lee; Qian Chen; Ramray Bhat; Shayne Petkiewicz; Jessica M. Smith; Vivian E. Ferry; Ana Luisa Correia; A. Paul Alivisatos; Mina J. Bissell
• Keywords: Optical Imaging; Metal Nanoparticles; Epithelial Cells; Aptamers, Nucleotide; Surface Plasmon Resonance; 01 natural sciences; Cell Line; 0104 chemical sciences; Mice; Development & Genetics (formed by the merger of DBGL and CRBME); Molecular Reproduction; Animals; Humans; Nanotechnology; Matrix Metalloproteinase 3; Gold; Mammary Glands, Human

Plasmon rulers, consisting of pairs of gold nanoparticles, allow single-molecule analysis without photobleaching or blinking; however, current plasmon rulers are irreversible, restricting detection to only single events. Here, we present a reversible plasmon ruler, comprised of coupled gold nanoparticles linked by a single aptamer, capable of binding individual secreted molecules with high specificity. We show that the binding of target secreted molecules to the reversible plasmon ruler is characterized by single-molecule sensitivity, high specificity, and reversibility. Such reversible plasmon rulers should enable dynamic and adaptive live-cell measurement of secreted single molecules in their local microenvironment.