title: Site-specific DNA-programmed growth of fluorescent and functional silver nanoclusters.
abstract: Precise organization of metallic nanoclusters on DNA scaffolds holds great interest for nanopatterned materials that may find uses in electronics, sensors, medicine, and many other fields. Herein, we report the site-specific growth of fluorescent silver nanoclusters by using a mismatched double-stranded DNA template. Few-atom, molecular-scale Ag clusters are found to localize at the mismatched site and the metallized DNA retains its integrity. The DNA-encapsulated nanoclusters can be utilized as functional biological probes to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms by taking advantage of the very bright fluorescence and excellent photostability of the nanoclusters. This approach offers the possibility of constructing novel DNA-based nanomaterials and nanomechanical devices with more sophisticated functions and will be highly beneficial in future biochemical, pharmaceutical, nanomechanical, and electronic applications.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhenzhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Chunyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jinsong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Xiaogang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D012834:Silver; D004247:DNA