Self-Assembled G4-DNA-Silver Nanoparticle Structures

Abstract

Here, we describe the preparation and properties of discrete conjugates\nbetween silver nanoparticles and G-quadruplex DNA. The 20 nm silver\nnanoparticles (AgNPs) were connected by G-quadruplexes containing\nphosphorothioate anchor residues at both ends of the DNA, and the\nresulting conjugates were separated on the basis of the number of\nnanoparticles by gel electrophoresis. The molecular morphology of\ndiscrete conjugates was confirmed by TEM analysis. We have shown that\nthe absorption spectrum of the conjugates is broader than that of\nAgNPs not connected to each other, indicating the presence of plasmon-mediated\ninterparticle interactions. We discuss possible application of the\nconjugates in nanoelectronics.