Monitoring enzyme function at lipid membranes by SERS

In this project, methodological tools will be developed that enable observations of enzyme function at membranes and of membrane proteins. The first aspect concerns the ability to probe the action of intra-membrane enzymes by SERS, and monitoring and control of this environment during enzyme insertion, interaction, and catalysis. It will lead to versatile models for future studies of different enzymes, and to improved targeting of SERS probes to monitor enzymes in cells. The second aspect, detection and characterization of enzyme metabolites, is crucial for probing enzyme action in complex environments such as cells.
Such metabolites include lipids, e.g., from biological membranes, as well as proteins and peptides. In order to address these objectives, probing of lipid molecules in environments of different complexity will be at the center of this project, ranging from vesicle and membrane models to cellular models where the abundance of specific lipids will be controlled, and enzyme action can be monitored.