Molecular sensitised probe for amino acid recognition within peptide sequences

verfasst von
Xu Wu, Bogdana Borca, Suman Sen, Sebastian Koslowski, Sabine Abb, Daniel Pablo Rosenblatt, Aurelio Gallardo, Jesús I. Mendieta-Moreno, Matyas Nachtigall, Pavel Jelinek, Stephan Rauschenbach, Klaus Kern, Uta Schlickum
Abstract

The combination of low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy with a mass-selective electro-spray ion-beam deposition established the investigation of large biomolecules at nanometer and sub-nanometer scale. Due to complex architecture and conformational freedom, however, the chemical identification of building blocks of these biopolymers often relies on the presence of markers, extensive simulations, or is not possible at all. Here, we present a molecular probe-sensitisation approach addressing the identification of a specific amino acid within different peptides. A selective intermolecular interaction between the sensitiser attached at the tip-apex and the target amino acid on the surface induces an enhanced tunnelling conductance of one specific spectral feature, which can be mapped in spectroscopic imaging. Density functional theory calculations suggest a mechanism that relies on conformational changes of the sensitiser that are accompanied by local charge redistributions in the tunnelling junction, which, in turn, lower the tunnelling barrier at that specific part of the peptide.

Externe Organisation(en)
Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung
Beijing Institute of Technology
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Institut de Physique des Materiaux, Bucarest-Magurele
Akademie Věd České Republiky (AV ČR)
Charles University
University of Oxford
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Lausanne (ETHL)
Typ
Artikel
Journal
Nature Communications
Band
14
ISSN
2041-1723
Publikationsdatum
14.12.2023
Publikationsstatus
Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Chemie (insg.), Biochemie, Genetik und Molekularbiologie (insg.), Physik und Astronomie (insg.)
Elektronische Version(en)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43844-5 (Zugang: Offen)