DNA-templated silver nanoclusters are promising biological fluorescence probes due to their useful fluorescence properties, including tunability of emission wavelength through DNA template sequence variations. Ag K-edge EXAFS analysis of DNA-templated silver nanoclusters has been used to obtain insight into silver nanocluster bonding, size, and structural correlations to fluorescence. The resul...

The molecular features of synapses in the hippocampus underpin current models of learning and cognition. Although synapse ultra-structural diversity has been described in the canonical hippocampal circuitry, our knowledge of sub-synaptic organisation of synaptic molecules remains largely unknown. To address this, mice were engineered to express Post Synaptic Density 95 protein (PSD95) fused to ...

Hg(2+) ions are bound to a 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol (BDMT) monolayer assembled on a Au electrode. Electrochemical reduction of the Hg(2+)-BDMT monolayer to Hg(+)-BDMT (at E degrees =0.48 V) and subsequently to Hg(0)-BDMT (at E degrees =0.2 V) proceeds with electron-transfer rate constants of 8 and 11 s(-1), respectively. The Hg(0) atoms cluster into aggregates that exhibit dimensions of 30 nm ...

The spatial organization of K-Ras proteins into nanoclusters on the plasma membrane is essential for high-fidelity signal transduction. The mechanism underlying K-Ras nanoclustering is unknown. We show here that K-Ras.GTP recruits Galectin-3 (Gal-3) from the cytosol to the plasma membrane where it becomes an integral nanocluster component. Importantly, we show that the cytosolic level of Gal-3 ...

The atomic-structure characterization of alloy nanoclusters (NCs) remains challenging but is crucial in order to understand the synergism and develop new applications based upon the distinct properties of alloy NCs. Herein, we report the synthesis and X-ray crystal structure of the Pt1Ag28(S-Adm)18(PPh3)4 nanocluster with a tetrahedral shape. Pt1Ag28 was synthesized by reacting Pt1Ag24(SPhMe2)1...

Evidence is provided from studies on natural and artificial biofluids that the sequestration of amorphous calcium phosphate by peptides or proteins to form nanocluster complexes is of general importance in the control of physiological calcification. A naturally occurring mixture of osteopontin peptides was shown, by light and neutron scattering, to form calcium phosphate nanoclusters with a cor...

Plasmonic nanoclusters, an ordered assembly of coupled metallic nanoparticles, support unique spectral features known as Fano resonances due to the coupling between their subradiant and superradiant plasmon modes. Within the Fano resonance, absorption is significantly enhanced, giving rise to highly localized, intense near fields with the potential to enhance nonlinear optical processes. Here, ...

The structure effect is widely present in the catalysis of alloy systems. However, the surface structure of this system is still ambiguous because of the limitations of the current surface characterization tools. We reported the x-ray crystallographic structure of the first and the largest AgAu alloy nanocluster with a doping shell formulated as [Ag46Au24(SR)32](BPh4)2. This nanocluster consist...