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Synthesis of DNA-Templated Silver Nanoclusters and the Characterization of Their Optical Properties and Biological Activity

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RNA Nanostructures

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2709))

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Abstract

DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs) are a unique class of bioinorganic nanomaterials. The optical properties and biological activities of DNA-AgNCs are readily modulated by the minor adjustments in the sequence or structure of the templating oligonucleotide. Excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMS) enables the fluorescence of compounds to be measured in a way that examines the entirety of a material’s fluorescent properties. The use of EEMS for the characterization of DNA-AgNCs allows for multiple fluorescence peaks to be readily identified while providing the excitation and emission wavelengths of each signal. To assess the antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of DNA-AgNCs, two separate experimental approaches are used. Assessing the growth of bacteria over time is accomplished by measuring the optical density of the bacterial suspension with 600 nm light, which is directly related to the number of bacteria in suspension. In order to evaluate the DNA-AgNCs for cytotoxic activity, cell viability assays which probe mitochondrial activity were used. Herein, we describe protocols for the characterization of the fluorescent, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities of DNA-AgNCs using EEM, optical density measurements, and cell viability assays.

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Acknowledgments

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R35GM139587 (to K.A.A.). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Elizabeth Skelly, Lewis A. Rolband, Damian Beasock & Kirill A. Afonin

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Skelly
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  2. Lewis A. Rolband
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  3. Damian Beasock
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  4. Kirill A. Afonin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kirill A. Afonin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Kirill A. Afonin

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Skelly, E., Rolband, L.A., Beasock, D., Afonin, K.A. (2023). Synthesis of DNA-Templated Silver Nanoclusters and the Characterization of Their Optical Properties and Biological Activity. In: Afonin, K.A. (eds) RNA Nanostructures. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2709. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3417-2_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3417-2_21

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-3416-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-3417-2

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