A visual gene-detecting technique using nanoparticle-supported gene probes is described. With the aid of gold nanoparticle-supported 30-end-mercapto-derivatized oligonucleotide serving as detection probe, and 50-end-amino-derivatized oligonucleotide immobilized on glass surface acting as capturing probe, target DNA was detected visually by sandwich hybridization based on highly sensitive "nano-amplification" and silver staining. Different genotypes of Hepatitis B and C viruses in the serum samples from infected patients were detected using homemade HBV, HCV, and HBV/HCV gene chips by the gold/silver nanoparticle staining amplification method. The present visual gene-detecting technique may avoid limitations with the reported methods, for its high sensitivity, good specificity, simplicity, speed, and cheapness. This technique has potential applications in many fields, especially in multi-gene detection gene chips coupled with the detection will find applications in clinic. Additionally, resonance Rayleigh light scattering (RLS) spectroscopy is used, for the first time, to judge and monitor the immobilization of gene probes on gold nanoparticle surfaces.

Gold nanoparticle/streptavidin conjugates covered with 6-ferrocenylhexanethiol were attached onto a biotinylated DNA detection probe of a sandwich DNA complex. Due to the elasticity of the DNA strands, the ferrocene caps on gold nanoparticle/streptavidin conjugates are positioned in close proximity to the underlying electrode modified with a mixed DNA capture probe/hexanethiol self-assembled monolayer and can undergo reversible electron-transfer reactions. A detection level, down to 2.0pM (10amol for the 5μL of sample needed) for oligodeoxynucleotide samples was obtained. The amplification of the voltammetric signals was attributed to the attachment of a large number of redox (ferrocene) markers per DNA duplex formed. The ferrocene oxidation current increased with the target concentration and began to level off at a target concentration of 10nM. An Excellent linearity was found within the range between 6.9 and 150.0pM and reasonable relative standard deviations (between 3.0 and 13.0%) were obtained. The amenability of this method to the analyses of polynucleotides (i.e., PCR products of the pre-S gene of hepatitis B virus in serum samples) was also demonstrated. The method is shown to be simple, selective, reproducible, and costeffective and does not require labeling of the DNA targets.

When illuminated by near-UV light, titanium dioxide (TiO2) exhibits excellent bactericidal activity. However, there exist some different mechanisms for cell killing via photocatalysis. In the present study, the photocatalytically bactericidal mechanism of TiO2 thin films was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in conjugation with some other techniques. The decomposition process of the cell wall and the cell membrane was directly observed by AFM for the first time. The resultant change in cell permeability was confirmed by potassium ion (K+) leakage. Quantum dots (QDs) were designed originally as a probe to examine the cell permeability for macromolecules. The corresponding bactericidal activity of TiO2 thin films was examined by cell viability assay. These results suggested that the cell death was caused by the decomposition of the cell wall and the cell membrane and the resultant leakage of intracellular molecules.

The immobilization of thiol-derivatized DNA on a Au (111) single crystal surface by self-assembly has been investigated by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). Continuous potential-dependent orientation changes of double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) have been observed in a certain potential range from 200 to 600mV (versus SCE). It is suggested that the DNA duplexes stand straight on the gold surface at potentials negative of the potential of zero charge (pzc) and then lay down on the surface when the potential shifts positively. These results are in agreement with the expectation based on the Coulombic interaction consideration between negatively charged DNA helices and gold surface. As the applied potential shifts positively, the surface charge changes from negative to positive, that is, the Coulombic force between negatively charged DNA helices and gold surfaces changes from repulsion to attraction. However, for the single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides, no distinct changes in the surface structure were observed with the applied potential.

Double-stranded DNA(poly(dA)30?poly(dT)30)-modified gold electrodes, prepared by air-drying/adsorption method, have been investigated by various techniques, including cyclic voltammetry (CV), quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM), and surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy (SERS). CV and QCM results show that an average surface coverage of (7.5 (0.2)