Biophotonics: Genetically encodable single molecule fluorescence: peptide-silver nanodot biolabels

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

0323453 Dickson By combining biological diversity and materials science, the PIs will simultaneously optimize our dendrimer-encapsulated nanodots and screen peptide libraries to identify specific peptidesequences that bind and stabilize Ag nanoclusters. Through genetic optimization of peptides that specifically bind fluorescent Ag nanodots of different colors and characterizing their photophysics, they will create very small, genetically programmed biolabels with nearly ideal optical properties. The very strong Ag nanodot emission will enable single molecule dynamics to be directly observable with weak mercury lamp excitation to produce extremely high photon fluxes for several hours of continuous illumination. Avoiding high excitation intensities and the autofluorescent background currently limiting in vivo single molecule experiments, both short time (sub-msec) and long time (hours) responses will be characterizable with genetically encodable multicolored ultrabright labels. Through these experiments, they will provide the foundation for utilizing these important nanomaterials as probes of multiple single molecule dynamics within living systems.