Detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis gene using plasmonics nanoprobes

This paper describes the use of plasmonics-based nanoprobes for detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis gene. The plasmonics nanoprobe is composed of a silver nanoparticle pre-coated with a stem-loop DNA probe that is tagged with a Raman label at one end of the stem region, while the other end of the probe is covalently conjugated to the nanoparticle via a thiol-silver bond. The loop region is designed to detect a specific target gene sequence. In the absence of target, the Raman label is in close proximity to the metal surface, resulting in an intense SERS signal upon laser excitation. In the presence of the target DNA sequence, hybridization between the target and probe disrupts the stem-loop configuration, separating the Raman label from the metal surface and quenching the SERS signal. In this study, we successfully demonstrated for the first time the feasibility of using plasmonics nanoprobes for the detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis gene.