Letter abstract
Nature Materials 3, 692 - 695 (2004)
Published online: 12 September 2004 | doi:10.1038/nmat1205
Subject Categories: Metals and alloys | Biological materials | Nanoscale materials
Actin-based metallic nanowires as bio-nanotransporters
Fernando Patolsky1, Yossi Weizmann1 & Itamar Willner1
The synthesis of conductive nanowires or patterned conductive nanoelements is a challenging goal for the future fabrication of nanoscale circuitry1. Similarly, the realization of nanoscale mechanics might introduce a new facet to the area of nanobiotechnology. Here we report on the design of conductive and patterned actin-based gold nanowires, and on the ATP-driven motility of the nano-objects. The polymerization of G-actin labelled with Au nanoparticles, followed by the catalytic enlargement of the nanoparticles, yields gold wires (1–4 
m long and 80–200 nm high) exhibiting high electrical conductivity. The polymerization of the Au nanoparticle/G-actin monomer followed by the polymerization of free G-actin, or alternatively the polymerization of the Au-nanoparticle-labelled G-actin on polymerized F-actin followed by the catalytic enlargement of the particles, yields patterned actin–Au wire–actin or Au wire–actin–Au wire nanostructures, respectively. We demonstrate the ATP-fuelled motility of the actin–Au wire–actin filaments on a myosin interface. These actin-based metallic wires and their nanotransporting funcionality introduce new concepts for developing biological/inorganic hybrid devices.
- Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
Correspondence to: Itamar Willner1 e-mail: willnea@vms.huji.ac.il
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