Rapid Non-Crosslinking Aggregation of DNA-Functionalized Gold Nanorods and Nanotriangles for Colorimetric Single-Nucleotide Discrimination

Abstract

Gold nanoparticles modified with DNA duplexes are rapidly and spontaneously aggregated at high ionic strength. In contrast, this aggregation is greatly suppressed when the DNA duplex has a single-base mismatch or a single-nucleotide overhang located at the outermost surface of the particle. These colloidal features emerge irrespective of the size and composition of the particle core; however, the effects of the shape remain unexplored. Using gold nanorods and nanotriangles (nanoplatelets), we show herein that both remarkable rapidity in colloidal aggregation and extreme susceptibility to DNA structural perturbations are preserved, regardless of the shape and aspect ratio of the core. It is also demonstrated that the DNA-modified gold nanorods and nanotriangles are applicable to naked-eye detection of a single-base difference in a gene model. The current study corroborates the generality of the unique colloidal properties of DNA-functionalized nanoparticles, and thus enhances the feasibility of their practical use.

Keywords: DNA; gold; nanorods; nanotriangles; single-nucleotide polymorphisms.