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Updated: May 10, 2026
Combining Single-molecule Manipulation and Imaging for the Study of Protein-DNA Interactions
Published on: August 27, 2014
Metal nanoparticle-functionalized DNA tweezers: from mechanically programmed nanostructures to switchable
Simcha Shimron1, Alessandro Cecconello, Chun-Hua Lu
1The Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
Abstract:
DNA tweezers are modified with two 10-nm sized Au NPs and one 5-nm sized Au NP. Upon treatment of the tweezers with fuel and antifuel nucleic acid strands, the switchable closure and opening of the tweezers proceed, leading to the control of programmed nanostructures of the tethered NPs. The tweezers are further modified with a single 10-nm sized nanoparticle, and a fluorophore unit (Cy3), positioned at different distinct sites of the tweezers. The reversible and cyclic fluorescence quenching or fluorescence enhancement phenomena, upon the dynamic opening/closure of the different tweezers, are demonstrated.
