Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 16: Poster Session I

BP 16.40: Poster

Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 17:00–19:30, Poster D

Protein Adsorption kinetics monitored via SPR — •Hendrik Hähl, Hubert Mantz, and Karin Jacobs — Saarland University, Experimental Physics, D-66041 Saarbrücken, Germany

The formation of protein layers on solid surfaces plays an important role in many biological processes. In our studies we focus on the adsorption of human saliva proteins. In the oral cavity, some of them can act as a medium for bacteria. The aim is to test the influence of the different contributions of the surface potential on the protein adsorption process.

Former investigations showed that the adsorption kinetics exhibits a different behaviour for different long-range van-der-Waals interactions (cf contribution of H. Mantz et al.). Now the influence of the short-range forces should also be tested.

By covering thin gold layers with self assembled monolayers of thiols with different headgroups, it is possible to tune the short-range forces acting on the adsorbing proteins. The growth of the protein layer is monitored via surface plasmon resonance. By the shift of the minimum in the reflectivity curves the thickness of the adsorbed layer can be measured. In combination with imaging ellipsometry this gives us major advantages in comparison with commercially available setups, e.g. the layer thicknesses can be compared directly.