Rapid Detection of the Monkeypox Virus Genome and Antigen Proteins Based on Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Abstract

The conventional detection methods cannot satisfy the need for early and rapid detection of monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection. This is due to complicated pretreatment, time consumption, and complex operation of the diagnostic tests. Based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), this study attempted to capture the characteristic fingerprints of the MPXV genome and multiple antigenic proteins without the need to design specific probes. The minimum detection limit of this method is 100 copies/mL, with good reproducibility and signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, the relationship between characteristic peak intensity and the protein and nucleic acid concentration can be used to construct a concentration-dependent spectral line with a good linear relationship. Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) could identify the SERS spectra of four different MPXV proteins in serum. Therefore, this rapid detection method in the current outbreak of monkeypox control and the future response to possible new outbreaks has broad application prospects.

Exploring monkeypox virus proteins and rapid detection techniques

“…M1R, an extensively preserved myristoylated surface membrane protein within IMV, plays a crucial role in the assembly and entry of viral particles (Tang et al, 2023;Zhang et al, 2023). As Yefet et al (2023) highlighted, M1R is 98.4% homologous to the L1R of VACV.…”

“…Because of its low cost, speed, high sensitivity, specificity, and noninvasiveness, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been frequently utilized to detect harmful microorganisms (Huang et al, 2021). Unlabeled detection eliminates the need for attaching molecular markers like specific antibodies and nucleic acid sequences onto nanoparticle surfaces, simplifying the preparation of the enhanced substrate and allowing for rapid sample detection (Zhang et al, 2023). Zhang et al (2023) also emphasized that despite SERS's robust detection features, some technical hurdles in unlabeled virus identification must be overcome, such as the difficulty in recording signals and insufficient applicability because of the size distinction between SERS "hot spots" and viruses.…”

“…Unlabeled detection eliminates the need for attaching molecular markers like specific antibodies and nucleic acid sequences onto nanoparticle surfaces, simplifying the preparation of the enhanced substrate and allowing for rapid sample detection (Zhang et al, 2023). Zhang et al (2023) also emphasized that despite SERS's robust detection features, some technical hurdles in unlabeled virus identification must be overcome, such as the difficulty in recording signals and insufficient applicability because of the size distinction between SERS "hot spots" and viruses. Consequently, they used silver nanoparticles incubated with iodine ions and aggregated with calcium ions as substrates to resolve the limitation of unlabeled MPXV detection of the SERS.…”

“…Because of its low cost, speed, high sensitivity, specificity, and noninvasiveness, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been frequently utilized to detect harmful microorganisms ( Huang et al., 2021 ). Unlabeled detection eliminates the need for attaching molecular markers like specific antibodies and nucleic acid sequences onto nanoparticle surfaces, simplifying the preparation of the enhanced substrate and allowing for rapid sample detection ( Zhang et al., 2023 ). Zhang et al.…”

Ultra‐Sensitive and Unlabeled SERS Nanosheets for Specific Identification of Glucose in Body Fluids

“…In our group's published literature, unlabeled detection of various biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins, bacteria, and viruses has been achieved by aggregating silver and gold nanoparticles to generate the "hot spot." [26][27][28][29] However, for glucose detection, the relatively narrow Raman scattering cross-section of the glucose molecule resulted in weak Raman intensities, and valuable SERS signals could not be derived even with conventional enhanced substrates. [30] Hence, the study about unlabeled glucose determination based on SERS has been a major challenge.…”