Abstract
Here we described the preparation and characterization by atomic force microscopy of dumbbell-shaped conjugates between 450 bp double-stranded DNA polymer, poly(dG)-poly(dC), and 5 nm gold nanoparticles (GNPs). We have demonstrated that the size of the nanoparticles in the conjugates can be increased in a controlled fashion. Application of the conjugates for measuring the electrical conductivity of DNA is discussed.
Highlights
It was demonstrated in 1996 by Mirkin [1] and Alivisatos [2] that conjugates of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with DNA are self-assembled into complex structures
The DNA molecules were linked to the nanoparticles via a thiol moiety introduced at the end of the G-strand composing the DNA and the conjugates bearing different numbers of nucleic acid molecules per particle were separated by electrophoresis
The synthesis of the DNA-GNP conjugates includes the following stages: 1. Enzymatic extension of SH-poly(dG)-poly(dC)-SH, a ds DNA functionalized with thiols at both ends of the nucleic acid for conjugation with GNPs; 2
Summary
It was demonstrated in 1996 by Mirkin [1] and Alivisatos [2] that conjugates of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with DNA are self-assembled into complex structures. The formation of dumbbell-shaped conjugates between long (hundreds of base pairs) ds poly(dG)-poly(dC) molecules and GNPs has never been demonstrated before. Guanines, having the lowest ionization potential among DNA bases [14], promote charge migration through the nucleic acid [15] These properties make poly(dG)-poly(dC) a potential candidate to create nanoelectrical devices and circuits. We report the synthesis of nanodumbbells composed of two 5 nm GNPs and a 450 bp poly(dG)-poly(dC) DNA These dumbbell-shaped conjugates are characterized by electrophoresis and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The enhancement method described here can be used for increasing the diameter of GNPs attached to various DNA-based architectures, such as, for example, complexes of DNA origami with nanoparticles [8]
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