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.