title: Networks of gold nanoparticles and bacteriophage as biological sensors and cell-targeting agents.
abstract: Biological molecular assemblies are excellent models for the development of nanoengineered systems with desirable biomedical properties. Here we report an approach for fabrication of spontaneous, biologically active molecular networks consisting of bacteriophage (phage) directly assembled with gold (Au) nanoparticles (termed Au-phage). We show that when the phage are engineered so that each phage particle displays a peptide, such networks preserve the cell surface receptor binding and internalization attributes of the displayed peptide. The spontaneous organization of these targeted networks can be manipulated further by incorporation of imidazole (Au-phage-imid), which induces changes in fractal structure and near-infrared optical properties. The networks can be used as labels for enhanced fluorescence and dark-field microscopy, surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection, and near-infrared photon-to-heat conversion. Together, the physical and biological features within these targeted networks offer convenient multifunctional integration within a single entity with potential for nanotechnology-based biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Glauco R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Dawn R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Christianson
authors.forename: Fernanda I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Staquicini
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ozawa
authors.forename: Evan Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sidman
authors.forename: J Houston
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Wadih
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Arap
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pasqualini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000737:chemistry*; D001665:Binding Sites; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D017979:Gold Colloid / Q000737:chemistry; D006358:Hot Temperature; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry; D020100:Hydrogels; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000737:chemistry; D007477:Ions; D008027:Light; D008546:Melanoma, Experimental; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008958:Models, Molecular; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D017785:Photons; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman
chemical_list: D017979:Gold Colloid; D020100:Hydrogels; D007093:Imidazoles; D007477:Ions; D010455:Peptides; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D006046:Gold; C029899:imidazole