As the gold nanoparticles cluster together, they pull the strands of DNA apart (credit: NCSU)
New research from North Carolina State University finds that gold nanoparticles with a slight positive charge work collectively to unravel DNA’s double helix — a finding with ramifications for gene therapy research and the emerging field of DNA-based electronics.
The research team introduced gold nanoparticles, approximately 1.5 nanometers in diameter, into a solution containing double-stranded DNA. The nanoparticles were coated with organic molecules called ligands (an ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom).
Some of the ligands held a positive charge, while others were hydrophobic (repelled by water).
Because the gold nanoparticles had a slight positive charge from the ligands, and DNA is always negatively charged, the DNA and nanoparticles were pulled together into complex packages./.../
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