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Updated: May 7, 2026
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Assembly of Gold Nanorods into Chiral Plasmonic Metamolecules Using DNA Origami Templates
Published on: March 5, 2019
Using DNA-driven assembled phospholipid nanodiscs as a scaffold for gold nanoparticle patterning
Nienke Geerts1, Carl F Schreck, Paul A Beales
1Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|October 1, 2013
Summary
Researchers patterned gold nanoparticles onto DNA-nanodisc structures called BioNanoStacks. This controlled assembly utilized histidine tags on scaffold proteins, revealing preferred binding sites for nanoparticle patterning.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials science
- Nanotechnology
- Structural biology
Background:
- DNA-coated phospholipid nanodiscs assemble into columnar BioNanoStacks.
- Scaffolding proteins with polyhistidine tags surround each nanodisc within the stacks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of using polyhistidine tags for binding molecules or particles to BioNanoStacks.
- To demonstrate the patterning of gold nanoparticles onto these nanostructures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized nickel-mediated interactions between nitrilotriacetic acid and histidine tags for binding.
- Employed Monte Carlo simulations to analyze binding patterns.
- Compared simulation results with experimental observations.
Main Results:
- Successfully demonstrated the patterning of gold nanoparticles onto BioNanoStacks.
- Identified that nanoparticle binding is not random.
- Determined preferred binding sites on the BioNanoStacks.
Conclusions:
- Polyhistidine tags on scaffold proteins can be effectively used for directed nanoparticle assembly.
- The controlled patterning of gold nanoparticles onto BioNanoStacks is achievable.
- Understanding preferred binding sites is crucial for controlling nanostructure assembly.
