Synthesis of MUC1 aptamer-stabilized gold nanoclusters for cell-specific imaging.

In this study, we use DNA MUC1 aptamer as a protective agent and target molecule in the synthesis of ultra-small fluorescent gold nanoclusters (MUC1-AuNCs) via a simple one-step method. MUC1-AuNCs exhibited red fluorescence emission with excellent stability over a wide pH range and under strong illumination. Confocal images showed that the synthesized MUC1-AuNCs efficiently targeted mucin overexpressing 4T1 cancer cells, but were not observed in 293T normal cells. Furthermore, the MUC1-AuNCs had a 5667 ns lifetime and 235 nm Stokes shifts and markedly eliminated background interference, suggesting they are a promising fluorescent probe for cell-targeted labeling and imaging. PMID: 32113558 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Talanta - Category: Chemistry Authors: Tags: Talanta Source Type: research