Visualization and identification of hepatitis C viral particles by atomic force microscopy combined with MS/MS analysis

A possibility of detection and identification of hepatitis C viral (HCV) particles by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) has been investigated. The AFM/MS approach is based on two technologies: 1. AFM-biospecific fishing that allows to detect, concentrate from solution and to count protein complexes on the surface of a AFM-nanochip; 2. mass spectrometric identification of these complexes. AFM-biospecific fishing of HCVcoreAg from solution was carried onto the surface of AFM-nanochips with immobilized anti-HCVcoreAg. It was shown that HCVcoreAg/anti-HCVcore_im complexes were formed on AFM-nanochips in quantity sufficient for their subsequent mass spectrometric identification. Thus, the AFM/MS approach allows to identify fragments of hepatitis C virus fished on the surface of AFM-nanochip from serum.