@article{FallahStanglmairPacholskietal.2016,
  author    = {Fallah, Mohammad A. and Stanglmair, Christoph and Pacholski, Claudia and Hauser, Karin},
  title     = {Devising Self-Assembled-Monolayers for Surface-Enhanced Infrared Spectroscopy of pH-Driven Poly-L-lysine Conformational Changes},
  series = {Langmuir},
  volume    = {32},
  journal   = {Langmuir},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {0743-7463},
  doi       = {10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b01742},
  pages     = {7356 -- 7364},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRA) is applied to study protein conformational changes. In general, the appropriate functionalization of metal surfaces with biomolecules remains a challenge if the conformation and activity of the biomolecule shall be preserved. Here we present a SEIRA study to monitor pH-induced conformational changes of poly-L lysine (PLL) covalently bound to a thin gold layer via self assembled monolayers (SAMs). We demonstrate that the composition of the SAM is crucial. A SAM of 11-mercaptoundecanonic acid (MUA) can link PLL to the gold layer, but pH-driven conformational transitions were hindered compared to poly-L lysine in solution. To address this problem, we devised a variety of SAMs, i.e., mixed SAMs of MUA with either octanethiol (OT) or 11-mercapto-1-undecanol (MUoL) and furthermore SAMs of MT(PEG)(4) and NHS-PEG(10k)-SH. These mixed SAMs modify the surface properties by changing the polarity and the morphology of the surface present to nearby PLL molecules. Our experiments reveal that mixed SAMs of MUA-MUoL and SAMs of NHS-PEG(10k)-SH-MT(PEG)(4) are suitable to monitor pH-driven conformational changes of immobilized PLL. These SAMs might be applicable for chemoselective protein immobilization in general.},
  language  = {en}
}