Stability of gold nanoparticle-bound DNA toward biological, physical, and chemical agents

Positively charged trimethylammonium-modified mixed monolayer protected clusters (MMPCs) interact with DNA by complementary electrostatic binding, serving as efficient DNA delivery systems. The stability of gold nanoparticle-bound DNA toward biological, physical, and chemical agents is investigated. The MMPC-bound DNA is efficiently protected from DNAse I digestion and experiences nicking/cleavage-induced morphology changes with higher concentrations of DNAse I. Significant protection of MMPC-bound DNA was also observed in a physical sonication assay. However, the MMPC-bound DNA was found to show enhanced cleavage upon exposure to chemically induced radicals. The latter may indicate that bound DNA is bent and wrapped on the surface of the cationic MMPC.