Detection of differences in oligonucleotide-influenced aggregation of colloidal gold nanoparticles using absorption spectroscopy

A rapid, simple, and reproducible assay is described that can be used to detect differences in the ability of oligonucleotides to influence the aggregation of colloidal gold nanoparticles. The aggregation reaction of the gold colloid was monitored through UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. Single isolated colloidal gold particles have a surface plasmon resonance manifested as a single absorbance peak at approximately 520 nm, and aggregated gold complexes develop new red-shifted peaks/shoulders depending on the nature and extent of the aggregated complex. A simple ratiometric study of the area under the single and aggregated plasmon resonance peaks thus gives information about the extent of the aggregation. It is postulated that differences in dynamic flexibility of the oligonucleotides affect their influence on the aggregation state of the gold nanoparticles. The results of this study provide new clues toward unraveling the causes behind the preferential affinity of the Hermes transposable element for certain insertion sites compared to other sequences that also contain recognizable target sites. The technique is robust and thus can potentially be used to study similar questions for numerous transposable elements and target sequences. (C) 2004 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.