Letter abstract
Nature Nanotechnology 3, 41 - 45 (2008)
Published online: 9 December 2007 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2007.386
Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Synthesis and processing | Nanomaterials
Nanotube-assisted protein deactivation
Amit Joshi1, Supriya Punyani1, Shyam Sundhar Bale1, Hoichang Yang2, Theodorian Borca-Tasciuc3 & Ravi S. Kane1
Abstract
Conjugating proteins onto carbon nanotubes has numerous applications in biosensing1, 2, imaging and cellular delivery3, 4, 5. However, remotely controlling the activity of proteins in these conjugates has never been demonstrated. Here we show that upon near-infrared irradiation, carbon nanotubes mediate the selective deactivation of proteins in situ by photochemical effects. We designed nanotube–peptide conjugates to selectively destroy the anthrax toxin, and also optically transparent coatings that can self-clean following either visible or near-infrared irradiation. Nanotube-assisted protein deactivation may be broadly applicable to the selective destruction of pathogens and cells, and will have applications ranging from antifouling coatings to functional proteomics.
- The Howard P. Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA
- Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA
- Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA
Correspondence to: Ravi S. Kane1 e-mail: kaner@rpi.edu
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