Optical Properties of Dye-Labeled DNA Gold Nanoparticle Construct
- Electronic Properties of Molecules Used for Opto-electronic Devices
- Emission Properties of Single Molecules and Aggregates
- RNA Splicing at the Single Molecule Level
- Optical Properties of Dye-Labeled DNA Gold Nanoparticle Constructs
- Development of Novel Probes for Intra-Cellular Studies
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Instrumentation:
- Single Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy
Recently there has been a great deal of interest in using the proximity of metallic nanoparticle surfaces to dye molecules to quench or enhance their fluorescence. We have designed a construct consisting of a short strand of dye-labeled DNA attached to a gold nanoparticle. The labeling dye intercalates between the bases of the DNA, enabling the facile formation of a bright multiply-labeled construct. By varying the dye-nanoparticle distance systematically we will determine the optimal sequence to maximally enhance or diminish the brightness of the bound dye. This construct will be useful in imaging applications in which both fluorescence and DIC methods can be used to monitor this label in real time. The potential for use as Raman reporter dyes by utilizing surface enhancement of the scattering will be explored as well.
