Certain carboxyl groups of the plasma membrane are involve
d in tumorgenesis processes. A gol
d core-hy
droxyapatite shell (AuHA) nanocomposite is intro
duce
d as chemo-spectroscopic sensor to monitor these carboxyl groups of the cell membrane. Hy
droxyapatite (HA) plays the role both of a chemical
detector an
d of a biocompatible Raman marker. The principle of
detection is base
d on chemical interaction between the hy
droxyl groups of the HA an
d the carboxyl terminus of the proteins. The AuHA exhibits a surface enhance
d Raman scattering (SERS) signal at 954 cm
− 1 which can be use
d for its localization. The bio-sensing capacity of AuHA towar
ds human skin epi
dermoi
d carcinoma (A431) an
d Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines is investigate
d using Raman microspectroscopic imaging. The localization of AuHA on cells is correlate
d with scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy an
d structure
d illumination fluorescence microscopy. This qualitative approach is a step towar
ds a quantitative stu
dy of the proteins terminus.
d="absSec_2">From the Clinical Editor
d="sp1000">This method would enable further studies on the molecular profiling of the plasma membrane, in an attempt to provide accurate cell identification. Using a gold core-hydroxyapatite shell (AuHA) nanocomposite, the authors in this paper showed the feasibility of detecting and differentiating cell surface molecules by surface enhanced Raman scattering.