Formation of Silver Nanoclusters from a DNA Template Containing Ag(I)-Mediated Base Pairs.

J Christian Léon,Linda Stegemann,Stefanie Litau,Gerhard Wilde,Jens Müller,Cristian A Strassert,Martin Peterlechner

doi:10.1155/2016/7485125

J Christian Léon, Linda Stegemann + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/7485125

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Abstract

A series of DNA double helices containing different numbers of silver(I)-mediated base pairs involving the artificial nucleobases imidazole or 2-methylimidazole has been applied for the generation of DNA-templated silver nanoclusters. The original Ag(I)-containing nucleic acids as well as the resulting nanoclusters and nanoparticles have been characterized by means of UV/Vis spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show for the first time that metal-mediated base pairs can be used for the templated growth of metal nanoclusters.

Highlights

Metal nanoclusters are a topical area of research due to their enormous applicability [1, 2]
The original Ag(I)containing nucleic acids as well as the resulting nanoclusters and nanoparticles have been characterized by means of UV/Vis spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
The results show for the first time that metal-mediated base pairs can be used for the templated growth of metal nanoclusters

Summary

Introduction

Metal nanoclusters are a topical area of research due to their enormous applicability [1, 2]. Depending on the experimental conditions, including the choice of appropriate oligonucleotide sequences, silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) of various sizes (and with diverse physical properties) can be obtained [5]. Optical properties of the AgNCs appear to depend mainly on the cluster size, even though their interaction with DNA strongly affects these properties [5]. By choosing certain oligonucleotide sequences for the DNA-templated synthesis, distinct optical properties can be obtained [7,8,9]. Oligonucleotide sequences used for the templated synthesis of AgNCs often contain a large number of cytosine residues, probably as a result of the increased affinity of this canonical nucleobase for Ag(I) [11]

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Conclusion