title: [Linear clusters of gold nanoparticles in quasinematic layers of DNA liquid-crystalline dispersion particles].
abstract: The effects of small size (approximately 2 nm) gold nanoparticles on the properties of particles of cholesteric liquid-crystalline dispersions formed by double-stranded DNA molecules were analyzed. It has been shown that gold nanoparticles induce two different processes. First, they facilitate reorganization of the spatial cholesteric structure of dispersion particles to nematic one. This process is accompanied by the fast decrease in the amplitude of abnormal band in the CD spectrum. Second, they can form ensembles consisting of gold nanoparticles. This process is accompanied by the development and displacement of surface plasmon resonance band in the visible region of the absorption spectrum. The appearance of this band is analyzed by considering two different models of the formation of ensembles consisting of gold nanoparticles. By small-angle X-ray scattering we performed structural analysis of phases formed by DNA cholesteric liquid-crystalline dispersion particles treated with gold nanoparticles. As a result of this study it was possible to prove the formation of linear clusters of gold nanoparticles in the "free space" between the adjacent DNA molecules fixed in the quasinematic layers of liquid-crystalline particles. It has been hypothesized that the formation of linear clusters of gold nanoparticles is most likely related to DNA molecules, ordered in the spatial structure of quasinematic layers, and the toxicity of these nanoparticles in biological systems hypothesized.
authors.forename: Iu M
authors.initials: IuM
authors.lastname: Evdokimov
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Shtykova
authors.forename: V I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Salianov
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Skuridin
mesh_terms: D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance
chemical_list: D006046:Gold; D004247:DNA