Selective inactivation of enzymes conjugated to nanoparticles using tuned laser illumination

We report a novel method for specific deactivation of conjugated enzymes using laser-heated gold nanoparticles. Current methods involve treatment of the entire solution, thereby inactivating all bioactive components. Our method enables inactivation of only a single or subset of targeted enzymes. The selected enzyme is pre-conjugated to gold nanoparticles, which are specifically heated by a laser tuned to their surface plasmon resonance. We demonstrate inactivation of a selected enzyme, glucose oxidase, within a mixture of biomolecules. Illumination of non-conjugated enzymes and nanoparticles demonstrated specificity. We propose a novel method to quantitatively regulate enzyme activity, providing a building block for cellular and cell-free biochemical reactions.