In Situ and\nIn Vivo Evaluation of Multiplex Protein-Specific\nGlycosylation of Tumors with a Dual-SERS Encoding Strategy

A dual-SERS encoding strategy was designed for in situ\nand in vivo\nevaluation of multiplex protein-specific glycosylation of tumors.\nThe dual-SERS encoding strategy consisted of two pairs of dual gold\nnanoprobes with different diameters of 10 and 30 nm, which were encoded\nwith four different and distinguishable Raman signal molecules. The\n10 and 30 nm gold nanoprobes (Au10 and Au30 probes, respectively)\nwere further modified with lectins and aptamers to recognize the target\nglycans and proteins, respectively. After sequential binding to the\ntarget glycans and proteins, the adjacent Au10 and Au30 probes could\nemit strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals to indicate\nthe multiplex protein-specific glycosylation information on cells\nand in vivo, which can reveal in situ the distribution differences\nof different tumor markers in the central and marginal regions of\ntumors. This strategy has been successfully applied for in situ imaging\nand evaluation of the MUC1 and EpCAM-specific Sia and Gal/GalNAc information\non cell surfaces and tumor xenografted mice, providing a convenient\nand powerful tool to study protein-specific glycosylation-related\nphysiological and pathological mechanisms.